Dreams of Future Past
by Craftyleo
Summary: 1976 and nightmare visions of the future are plaguing Severus Snape. With Lily's help, he will need to figure out what these glimpses are trying to tell him, to change their future to a better one for all of the wizarding world. Although the future is not set in stone, not everything Severus sees can be changed, sometimes the inevitable will reach them sooner than they expected
1. Chapter 1

Hello all, this is my first fan fiction and I am extremely nervous. Really hoping it works out well and that someone out there enjoys reading it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 1

Severus bolted upright in bed, a muffled gasp escaping his lips as his hands grasped at his throat. Frantically moving his fingers to find his pulse he found it hammering away harder than he ever thought possible.

" _Just another nightmare"_ he thought to himself, desperately trying to calm his breathing as he reassured himself of his surroundings; _Yes_ he was still in his bed. _Yes_ he was still in the dungeon. Why did he expect to be somewhere else? With a heavy sigh he lay back down against the pillows, forcing himself to calm down.

Severus was no stranger to nightmares - his angry drunken father chasing him up the stairs in a rage; the Marauders hexing him again and putting in the Hospital Wing; his Slytherin dorm mates threatening him due to his friendship with Lily. But this nightmare had surpassed all of them.

Disturbing glimpses of himself begging on his knees before Dumbledore - _while he was in Death Eater robes_ , - clutching Lily's lifeless body to himself, rocking back and forth as he sobbed helplessly; eye to eye with the Dark Lord desperately keeping his expression blank as he spoke of a wand. A slash of said wand and he was a heap on the floor, a snake sinking its fangs deep into his neck, his life bleeding away as familiar green eyes in an unfamiliar face looked down upon him.

This nightmare felt as real to him as the others - things that had happened before. And that disturbed him. He didn't know why, or what, but he knew it had to mean _something_.

He could still feel the pain of losing Lily, a constricting pain in his chest threatening to cripple him. He could still feel the lingering sharpness in his neck where the fangs has pierced his flesh.

He desperately tried to clear his thoughts but those sickening visions kept swirling to the forefront of his mind. He wanted to see Lily, to check she was alright. He'd spent most of the previous day with her, and would be studying with her again today. But the pain of loss still felt so real that he wanted to see her _now_ , to reassure himself that it was _just a nightmare_. He didn't know what time it was, but he doubted the Fat Lady would appreciate being disturbed by a Slytherin in the middle of the night.

Severus grabbed his wand and cast a quick Tempus - _4.37am, 2nd May 1976_. He shivered as he looked at the date, it made him uneasy though he couldn't say why. It was only a date. He knew there was no way he was going back to sleep now, so he swung his legs out of bed to head to the showers. Maybe that would help clear his head. It was only then that he saw the empty bottle of Dreamless Sleep potion on his bedside table - _Why had he had such intense nightmares after taking that?_ He shouldn't have seen anything while he was sleeping,

"Something else that doesn't make sense," he muttered under his breath, frowning as he grabbed his robes and wand and headed out the dorm to the bathroom.

Safely in the bathroom he locked that door and switched on the shower. With another frustrated sigh he removed his nightclothes and stepped under the spray, letting the water wash over his face for a few seconds. The nightmares kept playing through his mind on a loop, and still no idea why it bothered him so much. He kept trying to ignore the terrifyingly calm figure in front of him, but he could still feel the anger and frustration that rolled off him in waves. Could still feel those malevolent red eyes piercing him, challenging him to - _something._

Severus sank to the floor under the shower, hoping the water and steam would clear his mind. But it didn't. He could still see Lily, a heap on the floor, desperately hoping he was wrong, that she was still alive. He knew she wasn't, the touch of her cold skin, her dead weight in his arms was proof of that.

Severus shuddered at the image, his breathing becoming heavier again as he fought against the tears he knew were trying to force their way out. He didn't know how long he sat there, but now knowing this wasn't helping, perhaps the next best thing would be to just get outside. Maybe space would clear his head, help him rid himself at the terrifying images.

Quickly drying and dressing, he left the bathroom, the dorm, the dungeons and headed upstairs as quickly as possible. Once he'd convinced himself that he needed to get outside, he needed to get out as fast as possible.

His whole body wracked with anxiety and filled with adrenalin, he ran as quickly as he could, pausing at the Great Hall as he considered waiting for Lily; before another vision flooded his mind, _desperately fighting with Professor McGonagall as she forced him to take flight from the castle, her cry of 'coward' ringing in his ears._ That vision made his decision for him and he fled for the main doors, forcing them open and heading out into the early morning sun that was starting to lighten the sky. Without thinking he headed down towards the lake, finding a space beneath a willow tree, its branches forming a curtain that could shield him from the world.

Maybe Lily would find him there later. Maybe she wouldn't. Maybe she would be better off keeping away from him. If his nightmare was some sort of glimpse at what lay ahead for him, it really wasn't much to look forward to.

With that depressing thought he closed his eyes and wondered if the world would be better without him in it. Maybe his father was right and he was just a worthless freak. Maybe the Marauders were right and was slimy scumbag who didn't deserve Lily's friendship. Maybe the Slytherins were right, he was just a worthless half-blood. Maybe everyone except Lily was right. He shouldn't have been born, he didn't have anything worthwhile to offer to anyone. Why didn't he just do the world a favour now before he did anything _really_ bad, before he could drag anyone else down into darkness right alongside him.

...

Lily dashed down the stairs towards the Great Hall, bag full of books slung over her shoulder ready to meet with Severus once breakfast was finished. She wasn't sure what he would want to study today, so she'd brought a fair amount with her.

Lily glanced over at the Slytherin table as she approached her own, searching for that familiar dark head. Severus was always there before her, but this morning there was no sign of him. Frowning, she sat on the bench, reaching to pour herself some tea. She glanced over her shoulder as she heard footsteps approaching to find Mary coming to take a seat beside her

"I don't suppose you saw Sev on your way in did you, Mary?" she asked her cautiously, she knew Mary did not approve of her keeping friends with him.

"No, but then I wasn't looking for him. Why?"

"He's supposed to meet me here, but there's no sign of him. We've got some studying to do," she tried to keep the worry out of her voice. She caught Mary rolling her eyes as she answered

"You were studying with him yesterday, and you're studying with him again today?" Mary snapped, sounding impatient

"What of it? I like studying with him" she snapped back

"Studying with who, Evans?" Lily looked up to see James Potter settling himself down opposite her along with Sirius Black

"Snape, obviously" Mary cut in before Lily could answer. James rolled his eyes

"Oh, Evans! When are you to drop him already? Come and study with us, it'll be way more fun" he grinned at her stupidly. Now it was Lily's turn to roll her eyes

"Fun? I'll stick to studying thanks, and I'll stick with Sev" she huffed, grabbing a slice of toast to eat and escape as quickly as possible, looking over at the door way again, hoping to see him come bustling in.

"I suppose you're going looking for him then?" Mary posed

"Of course she is," James stated "maybe we could help you look" he grinned again

"Thanks, but no thanks. I know exactly how you would want to _help,_ " Lily stood and grabbed her bag, making to leave the table "and don't go looking for either of us, Potter" she huffed as she finally left the hall.

Taking a deep breath, she headed for the library. Maybe he'd gone there early though she didn't know why he wouldn't have waited for her. At times like this, she really wondered what went through his head. Not that she ever knew completely what was going through his head. Despite years of friendship, he could still be a closed book to her.

Sighing, she pushed open the library doors and headed towards the back. Towards their regular table. As she approached she could see he wasn't there, and a quick check with Madam Pince confirmed that he hadn't been in the library today. Lily smiled and thanked her, heading back out again, perhaps checking the Hall again before figuring out where to check next.

As she made her way back she caught sight of Avery and Mulciber walking ahead of her. Warily, she followed, half of her wanting to turn and run in the opposite direction, half of her wanting to ask if they'd seen Severus this morning - they were his dorm-mates after all. But she knew precisely how bad that conversation would go

"So where's Snape this morning?" Avery's voice drew her from her musings, but hearing them mention Severus made her keep following at a distance.

"No idea, no sign of him. Wouldn't surprise me if he was holed up somewhere with that Mudblood again. 'Studying.' Yeah right" both of them snorted with barely suppressed laughter.

"Bloody idiots, the pair of them" Lily muttered to herself. So where was he? Hospital Wing? Maybe he'd taken ill in the night, it's not like she would know if he had.

Just as she decided to head up to the Hospital Wing she spotted Madam Pomfrey making her way to breakfast.

"Madam Pomfrey, I don't suppose Severus is in the Hospital Wing is he? No one has seen him since last night" she asked her quietly

"No, Miss Evans, he isn't. Maybe he went outside for some fresh air, especially if he's feeling under the weather"

"Maybe," Lily answered, though she wasn't convinced, "I'll go and see if I can find him"

"Shall I tell the Headmaster you think he's missing?" Madam Pomfrey asked her

"Oh no, he's probably fine, I'm probably over reacting. I'll talk to the Headmaster if I don't have any luck. Thank you, Madam Pomfrey" she nodded and carried on her way, silently praying that she wouldn't tell Dumbledore. Severus would not like it if he thought that teachers were looking for him.

As she stepped outside, she drew in a deep breath and looked around, trying to decide where to begin her search, "Where would I go if I were Sev?" she asked herself quietly. She headed over the grass towards the lake, no sign of any students along its shore, or on the boulders, or under trees - though it was still early in the day. Her feet carried he closer to the trees as she remembered the willow. The two of them had hidden there before, trying to keep away from the prying eyes of his tormentors. Mind made up, she headed there quickly, pausing as she reached the soft curtain of leaves, hoping she was right and she would see the familiar face of her best friend.

Gently, she pushed the leaves aside, and released a breath she hadn't realised she was holding and stepped through, letting the branches swish closed behind her. Severus was sat with his back against the tree, eyes closed, either asleep or deep in thought. She wasn't sure which. The last thing she wanted to do was startle him, so she placed her bag down gently and carefully moved towards him, crouching beside him

"Sev?" she whispered softly. Severus' eyes flew open and fixed on her own, he looked, well, _afraid._ His breath coming in shallow pants as he stared at her. Not moving. Not talking "What's wrong, Sev?" she asked him gently, reaching to touch his arm.

Severus carried on staring. Saying nothing. Until after what seemed like an eternity, he grabbed her and pulled her into a crushing hug, his arms wrapping around her back as tight as he could, his shoulders shaking as if he were trying to stop himself crying, his breath heavy in her ear. Lily didn't know what to say, or do. She'd never seen him like this before, and her concern was rising. Lily opted to say nothing, only let her own arms wrap around his waist to hold him in return.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Severus clung tightly to Lily, desperately trying to fight back the tears. He could feel her arms wrapping around him as she asked him what was wrong. Fighting his own wishes in wanting to hold her close, he grabbed her upper arms, pulling her away sharply, confusion written all over her face as she searched his own for clues.

"You shouldn't be here, Lily." he shook his head as he spoke, trying to break eye contact

"What do you mean I shouldn't be here? Where have you been? You've not been here all night, have you?"

"Why would you think that?" he snapped, harsher than he intended

"Well, you weren't at breakfast, you weren't in the library, your 'friends' had no idea where you were..."

"You've spoken to them?" he interrupted sharply

"Of course not," she shook her head "you know how well that would go. I overheard them talking while I was looking for you" she explained softly. Severus felt himself starting to relax a little as she spoke.

"So, where have you been? Has something happened?" she asked him again when he stayed silent. Lily sat beside him against the tree, taking his hand. Severus took another deep breath, still remaining silent while he tried to think of a way to explain it all without her thinking he was totally insane.

Maybe he was insane. He could be for all he knew

"Sev?" she spoke gently as the silence stretched on.

"No. Nothing's 'happened'. It's just... I don't know how to explain it, Lily. I think I might be going mad." he said softly

"Mad? Of course you're not going mad. Why would you think that?"she asked calmly. Severus steadied himself with another deep breath before continuing.

"Are you sure it's wise for us to be friends, Lily?" he asked quietly, terrified of her answer

"What? You don't want to be friends anymore?" she sounded hurt, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. He wanted to protect her, keep her safe

"Of course I want us to be friends. It's just, well, don't you think it's dangerous?"

"Do you think you're dangerous?" she asked. Severus turned to face her

"Not me. Obviously"

"Have your 'friends' threatened something? I know what they say about me, I'm not stupid" she whispered

"No you're not. And no, they haven't, but I wouldn't put it past them. If something happened to you because of me, I don't think I could take it" he looked away from her again, not sure how she would react to his admission

"Sev, you know they'd target me anyway. What else is bothering you though? I know that's not all." Lily was right, she wasn't stupid, she knew him too well

"It just feels like I'm on a dark path, and I don't want to be," he stated firmly "I don't want you to end up dead because of me." he could feel tears starting to prickle the corners of his eyes, he rubbed them with his free hand, tried to rid himself of the sensation

"What's brought this on, Sev? Dead? You're not on a 'dark path' unless you want to be. Why do you think you are?" he could feel her concerned gaze on him as he continued to rub his eyes. He knew he needed to tell her, but he was also convinced she would think he was going mad, or think he was taking the piss. And he didn't know which assumption was worse. Taking the plunge, he sighed and continued,

"Last night, I had the worst nightmares," he said quietly "you know I've always had nightmares... about the past" he glanced at her cautiously to see her nodding gently "but these were about the future. They felt as real as the ones I have about the past, and that's what has shaken me, I guess. That it feels _real_. Like it's going to happen. And I really, _really_ don't want it" he ended emphatically, looking away again while awaiting her verdict. Waiting for her to announce _Yes, Sev, you are mad_.

"Sev, it was only a nightmare, it doesn't mean it's going to happen" she spoke gently and he could see she was trying to get him to make eye contact again. He felt her squeezing his fingers, trying to bring him back around

"But what if I can't avoid it? What if I am just that dark inside? My future is looking pretty bleak right now, and you will be much safer if you're well away from me" he choked out

"Sev, what happened? In the nightmare? What did you do that was so bad?" he shook his head, not wanting to tell. He'd known that question was coming but he didn't want to tell her the specifics - that some of her own concerns for his future with the scumbags he shared a dorm with, were completely justified and were going to come true and some point. He felt ashamed and guilty about what he'd seen, what he felt sure would happen, even if it hadn't happened yet.

Lily stayed quiet, waiting for an answer. He knew she would keep waiting.

"I saw myself. As a Death Eater," he felt her hand tighten around his, but she stayed quiet, " I don't want that. At all, you know," he tried to reassure her "I saw you...dead" he fought back the tears again as the vision of her, cold on the floor entered his mind again. "I saw me, murdered by..You-Know-Who"

"You don't have to be a Death Eater, Severus. I know I've been worried about the others dragging you down with them. Or worried that you actually did want to be like them" she admitted quietly, looking away from him then.

"Lily, I have to talk to them to some extent, have to _play along_ , I share a dorm with them. If I start ignoring them, or standing up to them, they'll only target me more than they already do"

"Targeting you?" she asked sharply

"Well, yes. There's always something going on, power struggles and such like. It's Slytherin. They've hexed me before and I know they'll do it again. If I openly stand against them, they'll just think of more _creative_ hexes. Between them and the Marauders it's a wonder I'm ever out the bloody Hospital Wing!" his voice rising as he spoke

"Sev, why didn't you tell me that?" he could see her concern, part of him wanted it, part of him didn't feel he deserved it.

"It won't change anything, Lily. If I told someone, they'd only increase their efforts" he spat out bitterly.

The two of them sank back into silence, neither sure where to take the conversation next, both leaning back against the tree.

"So, are you concerned that you were having 'visions' rather than nightmares?" she finally asked. Severus thought for a moment before answering

"I hope not." he answered honestly "I really don't want to live in that future, if that's what there is to look forwards to. I almost thought the Universe was trying to tell me something"

"Yeah, don't be a Death Eater. I've been telling you that"

"Maybe the future would be better for everyone if I wasn't in it" he said quietly, finally voicing one of the darker thoughts that had been running through his mind

"You don't believe that. You _can't_ believe that" she stated, her voice wavering slightly. He turned to face her again, hated himself for the look in her eyes - concern, sadness, fear for him. He took a deep breath and looked down at the ground.

"Lily, you are the only person that has ever _wanted_ to talk to me, to spend time with me, to _care_ about what I have to say" _to care about me_ he added mentally "Every other person on the face of the planet sees me as a worthless freak, a waste of space" he finally pulled his hand from hers, hating how vulnerable he felt

"Well, everyone else is wrong" she said quietly, _stubborn girl_ "I do care about you, you're my best friend. I don't want to lose you, to the world, the bullies, the Death Eaters. Yourself"

A puff of air escaped him, a humourless laugh

"It's just hard to keep fighting against everyone. All the time. There's no escape from it, Lily"

"You're not alone though, Sev. I'll fight them with you, you know that" he felt the corner of his mouth twitch, he knew she meant it. He knew she was loyal. He just didn't think he was worthy of her loyalty. A lifetime of torment combined with the nightmares just added to his feeling of helplessness, an overwhelming feeling of it being _too late to get off the path._

"So what do you want to do now? Do you want to stay here?" she asked him. A part of him did, he wanted to hide away from everyone. He didn't want to talk about the dreams anymore, his brain was already frazzled from over thinking and self loathing. The only thing he knew for sure, was that he wouldn't be a Death Eater.

"Do you want to go to the library? Study for a bit?" she continued. Severus nodded, that really seemed like the most sensible option, at least in the library no one was going to hex him.

Without a word he stood and offered his hand to Lily, as she took it, he gently pulled her to her feet where she once again wrapped her arms around his waist. After a moment, he wrapped his own around her and pressed his head against hers, breathing in the scent of her hair. After a tight squeeze, he stepped back, looking her in the eyes. Lily gave a small smile and a nod and took his hand as she turned to leave, reaching for her bag full of books.

Severus took the bag from her as they stepped through the willow curtain to head back up to the castle together, still hand in hand. And Severus couldn't help but feel the slightest twinge of hope for the future. Maybe she would be there to help him drive away the darkness.

...

In silence, Lily and Severus slowly headed up towards the castle. Students were starting to head outside now breakfast was over, either to study in the fresh air, or take a walk near the lake. Some glanced towards the two friends walking hand in hand, but Lily wouldn't let him go. After what he'd told her, she felt she needed to keep close, by his side, now more than ever.

She wasn't sure what to make of his reaction to the nightmares, it wasn't like him at all. Severus had always dismissed the idea of _visions_ and _prophecies_ as utter nonsense. So _why_ was he convince by what he'd seen?

Maybe he was losing his mind piece by piece, like his mother was - she wasn't the most stable mentally, after years of abuse at the hands her husband. And Severus had certainly suffered at his hands too, mentally and physically. Not a good combination for his self esteem.

And of course there was the Marauders - Potter and his band of Merry Men determined to make life miserable for him. Lily sighed as she wondered if they would make an appearance before they could get to the library, Potter knew she was looking for Severus, and she wouldn't be surprised if Potter was now looking for her.

"What is it?" Severus asked her in response

"Just hoping we don't run in to Potter and his mates, that's all. You know they're probable looking for us, or looking for trouble"

"Hmmm, definitely want to avoid them. And my 'friends'" he sneered "Well, everyone really"

"Not me, though. Right?" she asked, pretty sure she wasn't on his _to be avoided_ list

"Never you, Lily" he said quietly, reassuring her. She smiled in response and they lapsed back into silence.

Before long, they were back in the castle, passing by the entrance to the Great Hall. Lily noticed him shiver and take a deep breath

"What is it?" she whispered

"Just another part of the nightmare. It's complicated. I don't really understand that part of it" he tugged her hand to pull her away, making it clear he didn't want to stay here. Lily went with him quickly.

"Let's just get to the library then," Lily spotted Avery and Mulciber "quickly, before they get to us" Severus nodded in agreement as he followed her gaze to his dorm mates, before they increased their speed, making their retreat.

"What do we have here then?" Potters voice rang out. She'd been so busy escaping the Slytherins, she'd failed to notice they were heading towards the Marauders.

"None of your business, Potter" she stated firmly, and made to pass around him quickly

"Where have you two been hiding then?" he smirked annoyingly

"As Lily already stated, it's none of your business Potter, so sod off and leave us alone" Severus said through clenched teeth

"Now, now, that's not very friendly, is it?" he grinned before turning his attention back to Lily "Come on Lily, come study with us. You know we're _much_ friendlier that Snivellus here"

"Severus is perfectly friendly with me thanks. And I've already told you _no"_ Lily was starting to get annoyed and could feel Severus' patience was wearing thin

"Come on Sev," she said gently and pulled him away, she knew it wouldn't be long before the hexing started.

"Yeah, run along Snivelly" Sirius Black added in. That was enough to push Severus over the edge and he drew his wand, letting go of her hand and dropping the bag to the floor. Black and Potter had their wands out, smirking, Peter Pettigrew standing behind them looking positively gleeful.

"That's enough" Lily said forcefully, hoping someone would listen "All of you, put your wands down" she turned to face Potter and Black "and you two, leave us alone." She reached for Severus' hand again, to pull him away.

She felt him reluctantly start to turn, to follow her, when Potter struck him with a stinging jinx. Severus snarled and barked " _Impedimenta"_ at them as they turned and fled for the safety of the library. Lily kept running, with Severus behind her, both hoping they'd shaken off the Marauders. Lily made it to the top of the stair case when she heard Potters voice again - a tripping jinx aimed at Severus as he was reaching the top of the stairs. Lily stopped suddenly and turned to see him tumbling back down the stone steps, before landing in a crumpled heap at the bottom, at the feet of his tormentors.

"You!" she shouted at the two Marauders "What on Earth is wrong with you?" she yelled as she dashed back down the stairs to Severus' side, his unmoving form causing her alarm

"Now, Lily, it's not as bad as it looks" Potter tried to reassure her, though he did look slightly worried - for Severus' condition, or her reaction, she didn't know which. And quite frankly, she didn't care.

Kneeling next to Severus she started to check him over, he'd obviously hit his head during the tumble. His unconsciousness and lump forming on his temple was proof enough of that. She didn't want to move him without knowing what else was wrong.

"Someone get Madam Pomfrey. Sev needs to go to the Hospital Wing. And someone get Professor McGonagall, someone needs to sort out Potters punishment" Lily noticed students making their way away from the area, hoping they were doing what she'd asked. Potter and Black stayed where they were, watching on as she carried on checking Severus over in silence, gently brushing his hair away from his face, praying that Madam Pomfrey would soon be there to take him for yet another visit to the Hospital Wing.

Poor Severus was definitely having a very, bad day.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Severus inhaled with a sharp gasp as his eyes snapped open. Lily grabbed his hand quickly and he turned his gaze to meet her eyes.

"How are you feeling? Are you OK?" she whispered

"Nightmare, again. While I was unconscious" he replied, closing his eyes as he tried to calm his breathing

"The same as last night? Or something different?" Lily asked. Severus glanced around, checking to see if Madam Pomfrey was nearby. Now he was awake, no doubt she would soon be over to check he was recovering.

"Same as last night" he whispered quietly "I saw myself with...Him. He was angry, wanted a wand. He had a wand, it looked like Dumbledore's wand. He killed me, there was a snake" Severus tried to force away the image of that huge snake lunging for his neck, tried to forget the feeling of his life and blood ebbing away, slipping through his fingers.

"A snake?"

"His snake, or it will be. He had the snake kill me. He thought I had something he needed to win the war"

"What was it? Did you have it?"

"I don't know. I don't think so" he answered softly, confused as he spoke through the visions that disturbed him. He was surprised by how calm Lily was, asking questions like it was all perfectly normal. Maybe she was humouring him. Maybe she'd go back to her dorm later and have a good laugh about his bonkers reaction to a dream.

"So, what do you think is causing this then?" she asked gently, drawing him from his musings

"I have no idea, Lily. I wish I did"

"It felt real?"

"Yes. It felt as real as if it happened yesterday. It feels like something that's happened already"

"So, it could be a vision of the future, like a prophecy. It could be something crazy to do with time or time travel" Lily continued, theorising out loud "Could it be a kind of hallucination? Brought on by a spell or a potion?" she asked. Now that was something he hadn't thought of so far, something that caused visions of your worst fears - that could make sense. Lily dead was definitely at the top of his list of fears - more so if he was the cause of it. And being murdered by Him would be up there on anyone's list.

"That would make sense but I don't think anyone has slipped me any potions, or cast any spells like that on me; if a spell like that exists it would have to be something dark. Mulciber and the others would do something like that, but I don't see why they'd use it on me. They're trying to get me on their side, so why show me how shit my life would be as a Death Eater?"

"Maybe they don't think you would fear that. Maybe they think you're more like them than you are. If it's not that then, is it just a really, _really_ bad nightmare and you're taking it this badly because of your state of mind?"

"You think I'm insane?" he snapped before he could stop himself

"No, I don't think you're insane" she said softly "I just mean you're stressed, over studying for OWL's, Potter tormenting you, watching your back in your own dorm, me quizzing you about them. You're tired, mentally, and finding it harder to forget the nightmares because they were _intense_." Severus let out a breath, that could be true, but it didn't feel like that was it. He just couldn't put his finger on it. Yes, the images were intense, but it wasmore than that.

"Do you want to talk to Madam Pomfrey about it" she asked him

"Talk to me about what?" Madam Pomfrey asked, both jumping as neither had heard her approach.

"No, nothing Madam Pomfrey, just some bad dreams" he told her, not wanting to start explaining things to anyone else just yet, it was hard enough explaining things to Lily.

"Is that why you weren't at breakfast this morning?" he frowned, he wasn't aware anyone other than Lily had missed him. Except his dorm mates as he wasn't there when they woke

"Yes, just needed some fresh air. It's fine" she didn't look convinced as she waved her wand over him, checking the state of his injuries.

"Well, you can go if you're feeling ok. You were fairly lucky considering you came down a flight of stairs. The only injury is the bump to your forehead, which might feel a little tender for a few days. I can give you a pain relieving potion now, and I'll give you a dose of Dreamless Sleep for tonight so you can get some rest"

"Yes, thank you Madam Pomfrey" he answered quietly as he sat himself up on the bed, one hand feeling its way to the bump, wincing as his fingers made contact

"There you go then, Mr Snape" she nodded to both Severus and Lily as she handed him the two small vials. Severus quickly swallowed the pain reliever and stashed the other in his robes as he rose from the bed. Sighing, he looked at Lily as she stood from her chair, grabbing her bag before they left the Hospital.

"So, library then?" Lily asked as they started their walk out

"Definitely. Maybe I can look up a few things in there" he replied as the heavy doors swung closed behind them.

"Come on then" Lily smiled and grabbed his hand once again. Lily had always been more tactile than him, but today she seemed determined to keep him even closer. Whether it was to reassure him that she wouldn't leave him despite what he'd told her, or to stop him dashing off and making some sort of suicide bid based on what he'd told her beneath the tree.

He didn't really care what the reasons were, the result was the same. Her soft hand had been in his for most of the day and she didn't seem to care who saw. That was reason enough to avoid the temptation of sinking with his dorm mates into darkness, or to end his life now, removing his worthless presence before he could cause anyone any real pain.

It would be a hard fight, but he would keep fighting as long as he could, and hopefully with Lily fighting alongside him as she had promised.

...

By the time they'd left the Hospital Wing it was lunch time, so Lily talked Severus into stopping by the Great Hall on their way to the library. She knew he didn't want to go in, but they both needed to eat if they were going to accomplish anything productive in the library.

She didn't know what had happened in here in his nightmare, she hoped he would tell her, he'd already expanded on another part of his dream. It certainly was confusing, she really hoped it was stress making it more difficult for him to ignore what he'd seen. Severus seemed so adamant that it was real, or would be real. All she could do was support him as best she could, reassure him that he wasn't losing his mind, help him look for the answers he needed, and help him fight against the darkness calling him. From outside and within.

"Are you ready to go?" Severus pulled her from her thoughts, and she nodded, standing from the bench and grabbing her back once more. Severus reached for her hand this time, a small smile tugging at her lips as he did. It was rare that for him to reach out to her, he always seemed unsure of his actions. Not that she'd given him a reason to be.

Lily gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as they headed down the corridors to the library, ignoring the looks from curious house mates - he own friends made it perfectly clear how they felt about her friendship with Severus. For the most part, she didn't care what they said. Severus had been her best friend for seven years and knew her better than anyone, she knew he was loyal to that friendship despite the pressure he got from the other Slytherins.

Though she had to admit a part of her was terrified she would lose him to them eventually. How could she compete with that? Compete with the power to get back at his bullies that they promised. If nothing else, the dreams had shown him the true darkness of becoming a Death Eater, and he desperately seemed to want to avoid that path. And that gave her hope. Reminded her that she hadn't lost him yet. Maybe this would be enough of a nudge towards the light. Towards her.

The two friends made their way through the library doors, relieved they had made it there without further trouble. Lily nodded at Madam Pince in greeting as they passed her desk, swiftly making their way to their regular table near the back. Lily removed some of her books from her bag, though she knew Severus was going to search for information, for his _problem_. She didn't know if he would find anything, or if he wanted her to help, but she offered anyway.

"No, it's ok Lily. I have no idea what I'm looking for. If I find anything, will you go through the books with me?" he asked quietly, dark eyes searching her face

"Of course, Sev, whatever you need me to do" she nodded and reassured him. Severus nodded in return and left the table, off to search the stacks of books for anything that might be remotely relevant. Lily trued to concentrate on her own books, arithmancy theory that was both complicated and tedious. She'd rather be helping Severus. She knew he wouldn't stop until he'd found an answer, he was like a dog with a bone once something had caught his attention. He needed to solve the problem as quickly as possible.

Before long, Severus returned, dumping a few dusty books on the unceremoniously on the table and sighed as he sank into his chair.

"I think I'll start here. No idea if any of these will help, but I need to start somewhere" he glance over at her "Do you still want to help look?" he continued

"Of course I want to help, Sev" Lily answered as she pushed her text books back in her bag. Severus pushed a book her way and she carefully brushed the dust from the binding before opening. Lily glanced back over at Severus, who already had his head buried in his own book, brow furrowed in concentration as his eyes scoured the page, dark falling over his face and hiding him in his own little world. Lily smiled as she started to lose herself in her own book, hoping their search would give them some clues to the cause of his distress.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lily made her way through the portrait hole and into the Gryffindor common room. She hadn't spoken to Potter or Black at dinner time, and didn't want to speak to them now. Seeing them lounging in the padded armchairs by the fire, she quickly tried to make her way to the dorm room stairs before they could spot her. Unfortunately, Black's gaze alerted Potter to her presence

"Evans! Wait" Potter shouted as he turned to face her, leaping from his chair as fast as he could

"Give me a good reason why I should" Lily ground out furiously, not in the mood for his excuses

"Look, I'm sorry, ok"

"Save it, Potter. It's Severus you should be apologising to. It's Severus you put in the Hospital Wing. Again!" She shouted

"I know, I know. I just, I didn't expect him to fall down the stairs like that" he said quietly

"Well what exactly did you think would happen, tripping him up near the top of the stairs?" she spat at him, trying to ignore the stares of their house mates, obviously drawn in by her raised voice

"I thought he'd just trip up the last step or something, maybe bang his knee" he shrugged. "I didn't mean for him to come down like that" he admitted, at least he was looking a little bit guilty. It wasn't good enough though.

"And I suppose you think that makes it ok then? You didn't mean it" her voice was quieter now, but no less furious "It's not going to stop you going after him again though is it?" Potter looked away from her now, "Thought not" she added when he didn't answer.

"I got a detention for it you know" he finally spoke, looking sulky.

"Good! You deserve it" she snapped back "It's not going to stop you lot plotting something else. You're going to keep trying to hurt him. He's done nothing to you, only defend himself"

"Now that's not fair, he hexed us today too!"

"Yeah, to slow you down so we could get away from you. After you hexed him! For what? Your amusement?" he rolled his eyes and looked away from her again. She knew she was right, the bloody _Marauders_ seemed to delight in finding new ways of annoying him, provoking him. Anything for their amusement. "I've said it before, and I'm saying it again, Potter - leave Severus alone. Leave both of us alone" and with what she hoped had been the final word, she headed off towards the stairs.

"He's one of them, you know" Potter shouted after her

"A Slytherin? Yes, I'm aware of that strangely enough" she replied, rolling her eyes at the stupidity

"That's not what I meant. But it doesn't take a genius to see he's following his scum bag mates off on the road to You-Know-Who"

"You know nothing about Severus" she whispered, shaking her head. And with that, she finally stomped up the stair case and into her dorm. Safely inside, she threw the bag down on the floor, plopping onto the bed stretching out onto her stomach, letting a muffled scream of frustration out into the pillow.

As she suspected it was only a matter of minutes before she heard the door opening again. Mary and Alice had been in the common room and were probably eager for gossip. All she really wanted was to be left alone in silence, it had been a long and emotional day, and quite frankly she didn't have the energy to fend off their questions. Face their judgement.

"So what happened then?" Mary asked quietly, perching herself on Lily's bed

"When? A lot has happened today, you'll have to narrow it down a bit"

"Well, you obviously found him this morning" Mary began

"Obviously" Lily repeated back to her

"And Potter put him in the Hospital Wing"

"Yes"

"Then you disappeared with him"

"To the library. To study" she said, trying to keep her voice level

"And then you got mad at Potter"

"Mary," she snapped "If you know every detail of my day already, what exactly are you asking me about?" Lily questioned, getting frustrated

"Well, what are you still mad at Potter for?"

Lily turned and sat herself up on the bed " Are you seriously asking me that" she spat out. _Ridiculous question!_

"Well James got a detention for it, so that should be the end of it" she said matter-of-fact

"Well it isn't! I'm sick of it, Mary. Potter and his friends keep hurting him, and there's no reason for it!" she yelled, temper still raging

"Well he's just like Avery and Mulciber though, isn't he?"

"No he isn't! He doesn't get to choose who his dorm mates are, nobody does. It doesn't mean he's like them"

"Are you going out with him or something?" Alice finally joined the conversation, sitting herself down on the next bed along

"What? No!" Lily snapped quickly, shocked by the sudden change in topic "Why would you think that?"

"You've been holding his hand an awful lot today" Alice pointed out, looking amused. Lily couldn't argue that point, they had.

"What of it? He's my friend" she said quietly

"Hmmmm" Alice raised an eyebrow, she didn't look convinced "Have you ever kissed him?" she asked quietly, grinning

"No of course not, he's my friend!" she stated again, though she knew the blush creeping up her face would do little to help her

"Do you want to kiss him?" Mary asked now, obviously eager to know something

"No!" Lily answered a bit too quickly. It was a lie saying that she'd _never_ thought about it. Wondered what it would be like. She knew now, with blush fully covering her face, the girls were not convinced in the slightest, and she suspected Mary would just love to give Potter another reason to go after Severus.

"He fancies you, you know" Mary put forward

"Don't be ridiculous" Lily said, rolling her eyes, really not in the mood for discussing feelings that she, or Severus, may or may not have for each other. "Look, it really has been a long day, I just want to get some sleep, ok?" she said quietly, really hoping they would give her some peace

"Fine, we'll leave you alone then" Alice said softly as her and Mary left the room, finally leaving her with her thoughts.

She doubted Severus had feelings for her, not in the way they were suggesting at least. He'd never shown an interest in any girl, he was more interested in studying. More interested in spending time with her, as friends. He'd never given her any indication that he wanted her as anything other than his best friend. His only friend.

It wasn't a topic she would be bringing up with him, not any time soon. Right now, with these nightmares, he needed her support, needed her to help him figure out what was happening. For the moment, she needed to let him know she would be there for him, would do anything she could to reassure him that she would fight by his side. And if that meant more hand holding, she wasn't going to complain. They could figure out the rest later.

...

Severus absently gave the gargoyle the Slytherin password and wandered through to the common room, finding a seat on a low couch. He noticed a group in the corner, but wanted to avoid them, preferring to sit alone. Lack of sleep, frustration, and a returning headache from his trip down the stairs was making him rather more irritable than usual. Not that it usually took much to make him irritable.

Severus leaned back, letting his head rest against the back of the couch, rubbing his forehead with his thumb and forefinger.

"Where've you been all day?" Mulciber ground out as he sat next to him

"Hospital Wing, Library, the usual" not wanting to elaborate, he knew where this conversation was going

"With _her"_ Mulciber spat, looking disgusted. Severus didn't answer, tried to keep his temper under control, he didn't want another hexing today "You weren't in bed this morning, were you with her?" Mulciber continued

"Don't be ridiculous" he shot back. That was ridiculous at least "I went outside for some fresh air" that much was true "then I spent the morning in the Hospital Wing after Potter hexed me behind my back" he finished, trying to keep his voice neutral. Keep calm.

"I saw you, running off after that _Mudblood_ "

"Don't call her that" he snapped, eyeing the other boy angrily. He spotted two others making their way over to where he was seated.

"Touched a sore spot, have we?" Mulciber smirked, looking pleased with himself. _Calm down, Severus_ he told himself mentally, getting mad was stupid

"It doesn't look good, you know" Mulciber continued "It's not good for Slytherin, you wandering all over the castle, hand in hand with that _Mudblood_ " he said the word again, trying to provoke a reaction. Challenge him. Severus stayed quiet "And it won't look good to the Dark Lord when the time comes" he whispered.

Again, Severus stayed quiet. Settling for glaring at the others in turn.

"Well, have some fun with her if you must" Avery added in "Some of these Mudbloods can be a good shag" the others laughed. Severus continues glaring. _How dare they suggest that about Lily?_

"Good point, but get rid of her when she's served her purpose" Mulciber put in, _smug shit,_ before he stood and the group started to move away.

"Oh, we're planning some fun later in the week, Snape. We'll fill you in on the details later"

"What kind of fun?" he asked warily. He suspected he knew what kind of fun already.

"Just going to play with a Gryffindor or two" Mulciber stated, and with that, the conversation was over and the group made themselves comfortable back in their corner, far away from him. No doubt they were discussing how brilliant they were, how much better than _Mudbloods_ , how they could teach them all a lesson. Put them in their proper place.

Disgusted, Severus grabbed the books he'd taken from the library and headed for the dorm, to read in peace away from the others. Besides, he didn't want to be seen reading a book on 'Dream Meanings to Divine the Future', that alone would give them ammunition for torment. The other book was an old potions manual, specialising in a variety of potions that effected emotions, the other book had a section on rather obscure curses. Neither of them were restricted, though the one describing the curses was more of a grey area - no incantations were given, just their effects and a variety of names they were known by. Maybe if he found something that matched what he was experiencing he could talk to the Headmaster. Maybe he should talk to him anyway, he probably would have to if the nightmares continued. Maybe last night was a one-off. He didn't think it would be though.

The afternoon in the library hadn't been productive. Lily and himself had sat mostly in silence, pouring over the books for clues; Severus sneaking glances at Lily when she was engrossed in her book, concentration written all over her face. His heart beat quickening every time he thought about the fact that she was there. With him. Wanting to help him.

Exhausted after the day's events, he doubted he would be able to concentrate on the books now. Instead, Severus stashed them in his trunk, _Dream Meanings_ on the bottom, took his robe off and threw it over the top. He swallowed the dose of Dreamless Sleep that Madam Pomfrey had given him and lay on the bed, not even bothering to change into his night clothes. Feeling his eyelids getting heavier, he desperately hoped that tonight, his sleep would be trouble free.

...

 _Severus was walking down one of the many corridors of Hogwarts Castle. Following behind Avery and Mulciber, smirking as they followed Mary MacDonald and Alice Prewett. Only one of the girls was a target - Mary - the_ Mudblood. _No need to target a Pure Blood, even if they were a self-righteous Gryffindor. Alice would make herself a target sooner or later. If she refused to join the Dark Lord._

 _"You sure that potion will do its job, Snape?" Mulciber asked quietly over his shoulder_

 _"If you brewed it correctly" he replied. Severus had come across a potion in the library, once taken it would make that person feel as if they were heating up, making them agitated and uncomfortable, heightening feelings of anger. For the victim, best case scenario - they would get hot, flustered and angry, lashing out at their friends. Worst case scenario - the resulting rise in temperature that accompanied their anger, would have them removing their own clothes to remedy it themselves. Personally, Severus was hoping the clothes stayed on, he had no desire to see MacDonald strip. Though he had the feeling his friends would prefer more of a 'show'._

 _Avery and Mulciber exchanged glances and smirks, as MacDonald started pulling on the neckline of her robes, face starting to flush red as she looked around uncomfortably. Prewett looking at her in confusion, MacDonald's strange behaviour. MacDonald evidently snapped at her, as Prewett stormed off, marching up the stairs alone as MacDonald continued pulling at her clothes and wandering slowly up, step by step._

 _"Disappointing that" Avery stated "thought we'd at least get the robe off"_

 _"Maybe we ought to give her a little scare" Mulciber added in "Just watch when she gets to the top of the stairs" he smirked. Severus stayed quiet, unsure but eager to see what they would do next._

 _As MacDonald reached the top step, Mulciber pointed his wand at her, and she was launched upwards, dangling by her ankle. Obviously a victim of someone using Severus' Levicorpus jinx. MacDonald screamed as her robes and skirt fell over her head, underwear on shall for anyone nearby, hands flailing with the fabric as she tried to cover herself over._

 _Before Mulciber could do anything else to the girl, they were interrupted by Professor McGonagall, her voice cutting through the murmurings of the onlookers._

 _"Mr Mulciber! What do you think you're doing to Miss MacDonald?" she demanded_

 _"Nothing, Professor" he whispered quietly, releasing her with the counter jinx to place her back on the top step, her face flushed due a combination of being dangled upside down, embarrassment, and the potion they'd slipped her at breakfast._

 _"25 points from Slytherin, and come with me please to arrange your detention Mr Mulciber." Mulciber rolled his eyes as he followed her up the stairs. Did she really think he cared about losing house points? "Are you alright, Miss MacDonald?" McGonagall asked the dishevelled student_

 _"I'm not sure Professor. I don't think I feel well"_

 _"You do look awfully flushed, dear. Perhaps a trip to the Hospital Wing then, just to check you over" Professor McGonagall suggested. MacDonald nodded, subdued and miserable as she made her way away from the small crowd, back down the stairs passing Avery and Severus on her way out._

 _"Thanks for the show,_ Mudbood _" Avery sniggered as she walked by. MacDonald faltered in her steps, but she carried on her way in silence._

 _"Not a total let down then" Severus smirked at his dorm mate and the two of them started their trek up the stair case._

Severus woke with a start, evidently the Dreamless Sleep had not done its intended job, Yet again. Disgusted with himself, he wandered through to the bathroom, unable to look at his own reflection in the mirror.

Is that who he really was? Is that who he was slowly turning into? Was this the _fun_ Avery and Mulciber were planning? It wouldn't surprise him if it was.

Severus had come across a potion which described similar effects to those he'd witnessed in his dream. He wouldn't be telling the others about it this time, and he'd make sure he kept that book safely hidden in his trunk.

After splashing his face with cold water, he headed back to his bed. He wanted to get outside again, but it wouldn't do for him to make a habit of wandering the castle, or heading outside, every time he had an unsettling dream. He ran the visions through his mind, over and over, wondering the best way to tell Lily. At least she could warn MacDonald, tell her to watch her back. Watch each other's backs. Even if he wasn't helping Avery and Mulciber this time, he knew they planning something, they'd already said so earlier this evening.

He just hoped that Lily would believe him, that he wasn't part of the plans himself. He knew she was worried that he was slowly becoming one of _them_ , and after seeing himself in that dream, it wasn't difficult to see why. But he hadn't done it yet, and if could prevent this incident, maybe he could prevent some of the other stuff he'd dreamt about too.

 **A/N. Hello! Thanks so much to those of you who have reviewed and followed the story, it means a lot to me. It is the first time I've written anything (other than one or two short stories as a teenager), so been trying to figure out the best way of planning and writing. I wasn't sure how to describe the story in the summary - whether AU or non canon, I will be using a lot of canon events, but things will be changing, more and more as the story progresses (hopefully that makes sense).**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Severus was not himself during potions class. He'd not been able to fall asleep again after last night's dream, but had kept mulling it over in the darkness. Trying to figure out the best course of action. Should he tell Lily? Definitely, she could warn MacDonald, that much was certain. Should he tell Dumbledore? Probably, but he couldn't bring himself to go there. Not yet anyway.

If Severus went to the Headmaster, or a teacher, Mulciber and Avery would know it was him, and subsequently place a giant bulls eye in the middle of his forehead. Or on his back.

As a result, Severus was distracted. Lily kept eyeing him curiously as he lost count of the number of times he had stirred their potion. Fortunately, Lily had been keeping a close eye on their work and was able to keep it viable, made sure their work wasn't wasted. And avoid the shame of failing during a potions class - that was something they, he, simply didn't do.

Once the class was over, Lily wasted no time in dragging him outside, obviously keen to find out what was causing the distraction in this morning's session. Fortunately, they both had a free session, giving them the time to find somewhere private to talk. Neither one of them said a word until they were safely hidden beneath their willow tree. Both sank to the floor, backs against the tree, staring ahead.

"So, what was going on in Potions? It's not like you" Lily started

"Another dream" he stated simply

"Same as the others? Or different?"

"Different. Not a nightmare, at least not in the same way" he tried to explain

"How do you mean?"

"It felt _real_ like the nightmares did, but it wasn't life and death. Just crappy stuff going on at Hogwarts"

"At Hogwarts? Crappy how?" she asked, sounding worried

"Slytherins," he sighed "being gits. To Gryffindors. One Gryffindor anyway"

"Which Slytherins?" Lily asked cautiously

"Mulciber, Avery and...me" he added quietly, dropping his head in shame

"What did they, you, do?" she asked, turning her gaze to him. He didn't look up, stubbornly stared at his shoes

"I only saw part of what happened. Evidently they brewed a potion I'd found, and they managed to slip it to her at breakfast. It didn't achieve the full effect they were hoping for so dangled her upside down with my lovely _Levicorpus_ jinx" he explained

"Who did they go after?" she asked softly

"Mary MacDonald"

"Did you hurt her?" she whispered, obviously not wanting to ask that particular question

"Of course not, but I didn't stop them! I just stood there smirking like I was one of them. I didn't brew the potion, but I gave them the instructions!" his voice starting to rise as he spoke, mad at himself

"Are you planning on doing that?"

"No, not now"

"You were?" she snapped, sounding hurt,

"No, but I'm sure I would have looked for a potion for them if they'd asked" he admitted, not liking how it made him sound. He was like them. A little bit at least. He didn't want to be, wanted that bit to get smaller. Lily looked away again, staying silent.

"They are planning something though, but I don't know what" Severus said quietly as the silence stretched on. "In the common room last night, they told me they were planning some _fun_ , but they didn't say what, or when, or who they were going after."

Lily was still silent, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them

"Just tell her to watch her back for now. If, when they tell me what they've planned, I'll let you know"

"Are you going to tell someone?" she finally asked him

"That's what I've been thinking over. For now, I'm telling you"

"What about Dumbledore? Or Slughorn? Or McGonagall?"

"If I go to any of those, my _friends_ are going to know it was me. Just tell MacDonald to watch her back, watch each other's backs. If things get worse, I'll go to the Headmaster. Ok?"

"Don't you think you should talk to him anyway? About the dreams?" she asked gently

"I want to try and narrow things down a bit first, it just seems like over reacting, going to the Headmaster now about that, can just imagine that conversation - 'Hello Headmaster, can I talk to you about my dreams, I think I can see the future!' Oh yes, that will work brilliantly. He'll probably just want me to start taking Divination classes" he said shaking his head "Or call someone from St Mungo's"

"Didn't Madam Pomfrey give you Dreamless Sleep for last night?"

"She did, but it didn't do anything. I'd taken it the night before too"

"Well, then it's not a regular kind of dream then, is it?"

"No," he conceded "But I still don't want to talk to anyone else just yet. I feel stupid enough talking to you" he admitted quietly

"You can talk to me about anything, Sev. You know that" she was obviously trying to reassure him, but he knew she was disappointed. About his admission. That he would have helped them.

"I am sorry, you know" he whispered

"About talking to me?" Lily asked, looking confused as he chanced a glance at her

"No. For being like them" he said as he turned his gaze back to his shoes. He couldn't look at her, didn't want to see the disappointment in her eyes

"Sev" she sighed softly, "I don't think you're like them. Not really. But, I am worried about you"

"Me too" he admitted "In the dream, I didn't like what I saw of myself. I don't want you to see me like that. I don't want to be like them"

"Well, this is a start then, isn't it?" she stated hopefully. "Choose differently. Don't help them" she made it sound so _simple._ Severus shook his head

"No, I'm not going to help them" he said firmly, decision made.

"Ok then." Severus turned to face her then, seeing a small smile on her lips, concern still in her eyes. He held her gaze for a moment before nodding and settling back against the tree. In silence once more, hoping he got the chance to prove to her, to prove to _himself_ , that he wasn't like _them._

...

Lily headed back to Gryffindor tower after the days classes. She hadn't seen Severus for the rest of the day, both in different classes for some subjects. After their discussion this morning, some of her previous concerns came circling back. Was Sev turning into one of _them?_ Her heart told her _no_ , there was no way he would ever truly be like Mulciber, no way would he could be that cruel. That evil.

Her head, on the other hand, could feel him slipping away. Step by step, piece by piece. She'd questioned him before about his _friends_. Why did he hang around with them? She'd seen him smirk, he'd played down some of their _fun_.

Yesterday, she was utterly convinced he'd been playing a part with them the whole time. Being _Slytherin Severus_ to keep them off his back. To keep himself safe. Today, she was concerned. Not about his dream. It was his admission that he would have helped them, he would have gone to them with potions and spells he found or created, to torment her friends.

Sooner or later, they would be after her too. Just another Muggle-born witch. Just another _Mudblood._ Then _her_ Sev would be totally like them. He wouldn't exist anymore. And that frightened her.

But, she still felt some hope. He'd seemed ashamed of himself, the things he admitted . She needed to give him the benefit of the doubt, for now at least, to let him prove that he was still _her Sev_.

Lily made her way over to Mary and Alice in the common room, the two girls were seated at a small table under a window as she entered. They both looked up as she approached, stopping their conversation.

"Hi, can I talk to you both a minute?" she asked them quietly. They both nodded so she pulled up a chair to join them.

"Severus told me something today" she began

"Oh? What kind of _something?_ " Mary asked

"He overheard Mulciber and Avery in the Slytherin common room. Planning something"

"Planning what?" Alice asked

"He doesn't know exactly what, yet"

"Of course he doesn't" Mary said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"He said that we should watch our backs. Watch each other's backs"

"So, when is this _something_ going to happen?" Mary asked

"He doesn't know that yet either" both girls rolled their eyes. Lily tried to keep herself calm

"Lily, he's probably the one planning it. Or at least involved in it" Alice stated simply

"No he's not!" Lily snapped back, "I know you think he's like them, but he's not" she whispered. "I know it sounds crazy, but I believe him. I trust him."

The two other girls laughed.

"I'm not stupid you know!" she snapped

"No. You're not stupid. But he's not the same as he was before Hogwarts. You want him to be like he was, you're not seeing what he is" Alice said gently.

"No, he's not like them" Lily said softly, shaking her head. She wouldn't convince them, not tonight. She still needed to fully convince herself. "He thinks it will be sometime this week. They might try slipping something in our food or drink. Or just go for a hexing. We just need to be careful. He'll tell me more if he hears anything. " Mary and Alice nodded, not arguing their points any further. Lily got up from the table, wanting to be alone again, think things over.

Lily headed back down to the library, try looking for some books to help Severus. He'd taken the ones he thought might be useful yesterday. Perhaps she'd have more luck alone, think the situation through herself, from an outside point of view.

Personally, she thought they could eliminate a couple of their theories - after last night's dream it didn't seem likely it was a spell or potion to reveal someone's fears. Taking part in, or witnessing an attack like that wouldn't exactly scare someone, Severus had had much worse done to him by the Marauders. Now, if he'd dreamt of becoming a victim of an attack, that would be different.

Was he becoming a Seer? She didn't think that was all that likely. Neither she nor Severus believed that the future could be predicted. Or at least, Severus _hadn't_ believed that in the past, though now he seemed to be suggesting this as a possibility - even taking a book on 'Dream Meanings and Divination'. He believed he was seeing the future.

Time travel? Again, she didn't think that likely. Was it even possible? She'd heard of Time Turners, but their use was highly regulated, and their uses extremely limited. Would a Time Turner be able to show someone their death? She highly doubted that.

Which really, only left psychological causes. That seemed to be his biggest concern. Was he having a breakdown of sorts? He assumed that would be everyone's first thought, and she suspected this was the reason he didn't want to talk to anyone just yet. The Wizarding World was not most helpful when it came to issues of the mind. This would be the theory she brought up last, she knew he wouldn't take it well.

With a heavy sigh, she started scanning the names of books in the _Healer Studies_ section of the library, looking for any that might relate to healing the mind.

Just in case.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Severus had spent the following few days distant and distracted. Sleep had been hard to come by, as the same few nightmares he'd had since the early hours of Sunday morning continued to haunt him. _In Death Eater robes. Begging Dumbledore for help. Lily dead. Himself dying._

He hadn't bothered asking for more Dreamless Sleep potion. What was the point? He was getting more and more anxious as the week progressed, more and more on edge. He was even avoiding Lily outside of the classes they shared. He wanted to see her, wanted to talk to her. He just couldn't bring himself to do it.

Lily kept on trying, though. She managed to follow him to the library a couple of times, so after that he'd resorted to hiding in the dungeons. She couldn't go to him there. He knew he wasn't being fair to her, he knew she wanted to help. But, he was scared of snapping at her, afraid of saying something he would regret. Before he made her hate him forever.

It was Thursday evening now, and all he had done was search through books, seemingly at random. And apparently, he was no closer to figuring out what the _Hell_ was actually happening to him. He'd ignored his homework - what did homework matter when his brain was destroying himself. He was ignoring revision for OWLS's - why should be bother attempting to make anything good happen in his life when it was destined to be filled with misery?

And he was ignoring Lily. He found that one harder to justify to himself. But he figured she was better off without him. She had other friends, ones that would be more welcoming towards her if he wasn't around her so much.

Right at this moment, all he could do was glare at the ceiling as he lay on his bed, letting the miserable visions swirl around his head. Running various possible causes for said misery alongside them. Hoping to be alone, to hate the Universe in peace. _No such luck_ he thought to himself as the door to the room opened, Mulciber wandering over to him, standing tall over Severus' stretched out form.

"Finally. Where the Hell have you been?" Mulciber demanded, arms folded across his chest, glaring down at Severus.

"I haven't _been_ anywhere. Just been in here, or the library" he shrugged "Alone" Severus added as Mulciber continued his customary glare.

"I noticed you've been keeping your distance. At least you're learning." Severus glared back at him

"So, what do you want? Surely you've not been looking for me to talk about Evans?" Severus asked carefully, he had a sneaky suspicion he knew what was coming. There had been no mention of _fun_ so far this week.

"Well, I did tell you we'd fill you in on the details didn't I?" Mulciber said, raising his eyebrow

"Ah yes. The _fun_. So, who's the lucky Gryffindor this time?" he asked, trying to sound bored.

"MacDonald, your little Mudblood's friend. " Mulciber smirked "Don't think she'd be too happy about that, but I'd say she's fair game. Wouldn't you?" He asked, challenging Severus to argue against it. Severus shrugged, wanting to argue, but knowing it was pointless. At least this way, he could pass the information along.

"So, what are you planning on doing to her?" Severus finally asked, turning his attention back to the ceiling again.

"That book you got from the library the other day, it was rather interesting you know" Mulciber stated simply

"You've been through my things?" Severus eyed him again, furious, _when he had a chance to go through his trunk?_

"Hey it's a library book, it belongs to the school. Anyone can make use of it. Wouldn't you agree?" _Smug git, smirking again_. Severus was itching to wipe it off his face. Itching to rearrange his face if he was being honest, not that it could get much uglier. "Anyway, I thought you'd agreed you would bring anything _interesting_ to our attention. You brought that book back at the weekend, and you didn't mention it at all."

Severus stayed silent, cursing himself for not hiding it better, for not warding his trunk. Not that he should have to. Shouldn't have to keep every single item locked up, away from prying eyes.

"Anyway, we've brewed one of those potions, give it a go. See if we can get her a bit _hot under the collar_ as it were. Maybe cause a bit of a falling out with her friends. We'll try and slip it in her breakfast, Avery will keep a lookout for any teachers, you can talk to your little friend, see if you can attract some of the other's attention." Mulciber didn't wait for an answer before he stamped his way back out the dorm. He hadn't meant it as a request. He meant it as an order. And Severus had no intention of following it this time.

Severus had to ignore their requests, their orders, if he was going to change how people saw him. If he wasn't going to be like _them._

An hour later, he decided to find Lily. Hoping it wouldn't appear suspicious to the other Slytherins if he left now. That they wouldn't _know_ what he was leaving the dungeons for. He hoped he could find her quickly, that he wouldn't create a scene in public. And that she'd actually talk to him after he'd barely said a word to her for the last three days.

...

Lily was in the Gryffindor common room, seated alone with a pile of books, even though the room was full of house mates and friends chatting together. Completing homework together. Friends.

Severus had been distant this week, seeming to drift further and further away. She hadn't even tried to find him today, he made it clear when she found him yesterday that he wanted to be alone, fleeing for the Slytherin dungeon where she had no chance of following him.

She didn't believe him. She wanted to follow him, but sometimes she had to give him some space to work things out in his own head. Too insecure, too proud, to accept her help. Or maybe, he still felt guilty after his admission.

Lily knew the nightmares had come to him every night, that was pretty much all he had said to her in the few words they had exchanged during their shared classes. And neither of them had come any closer to figuring out what was causing them.

She only realised she had got lost in her own thoughts, when a sudden pounding started up on the portrait, jarring her back to the present. _Fat Lady won't like that_ she thought to herself. Somebody had probably forgotten the password, it happened from time to time, but no one ever took it out on the Fat Lady. Usually they waited until someone came out, or wanted to come in, maybe going in search of a teacher as a last resort. House mates exchanged glances as the pounding continued, most probably thinking whoever it was could stay outside, learn their lesson. Finding amusement in the poor sod left outside until someone took pity on them. Much to her annoyance, the pounding continued.

"Someone open that portrait up will you?"she heard someone shout, evidently as annoyed as she was with the disturbance. A first year quickly moved to comply with the request, pushing the portrait outwards.

"You're not coming in, you're not in Gryffindor!" she heard the small voice exclaim, obviously alarmed by whoever was there

"I don't need to come in, I just need you to ask Lily Evans to come out!" she heard Severus saying to the girl. Lily got up, dashing over to the portrait hole, ignoring the sniggers and smirks as she made her way out.

"What's the matter, Sev?" she asked quietly

"We need to talk, away from here. Can we go for a walk?" he asked her, his voice low

"Sure, where do you want to go?" she nodded

"Just come with me" he said grabbing her hand and marching down the stairs, heading down a couple of levels, down a corridor, another turn, until they came to an abandoned classroom.

He released her hand once they were inside and headed over to one of the desks, leaning back against it. Lily stayed where she was, facing him, arms folded protectively across her chest as she waited to him to speak. Severus cast a _Muffliato_ , obviously wanting to make sure no one could over hear.

"They're going to do it in the morning" he said, barely more than a whisper

"Do what?" she asked, taking a step towards him

"They went through my trunk while I wasn't in the dorm. They found that book, found that potion by themselves. Mulciber wants to slip it in her breakfast tomorrow. He wants me to _distract_ you and your friends so he can sneak close enough to do it"

"That's not your fault, Sev. You didn't give them that book"

"No, but it's not like I can change anything is it?" he met her eyes then. Sad. Lost. Hopeless.

"I think this is bigger than the potion, Sev." he nodded, looking down again. "What are you thinking?" she asked gently

"That it's hopeless. If I can't change this, I can't change anything else" he sighed shaking his head

"You mean the nightmares?" Severus nodded again sadly before meeting her eyes again

"I just thought if we could stop this happening, we could stop the other stuff happening too. The big stuff"

"We can still stop it Sev. We can make sure that potion doesn't get in her breakfast, make sure he doesn't get the chance" she said calmly "And you're behaving different to your dream, aren't you? That's a start" she said hopefully. Severus nodded, but he looked far from convinced.

"You don't have to push me away you know Sev. I know it's been a rough week, and it's not getting any better. But it will be easier, better if we stick together. Work together. Two heads are better than one" she smiled. He still nodded

"You've got other friends, and you're better off without me" he said sadly, looking at the floor

"There are people I talk too, but I've only got one _Sev_ you know. And I don't believe I'd be better off without you. It would be like losing a limb if I lost you" she smiled, stepping closer to him. Severus was letting his hair fall forwards, over his face again. His shield from the world. "So, we stop Mulciber hurting Mary tomorrow, then we'll keep working on the other stuff" she told him quietly, firmly as she pushed his hair back behind his ear, before resting her hand on his chest. His eyes regarding her carefully, so full of pain and sadness.

"I won't let you die, Lily" he choked out "Not this time" before he slipped away from her, leaving her alone in the classroom to contemplate his words. _'I won't let you die'._ He said it, and she believed him.

...

Severus had barely stepped into the dungeon before Mulciber had grabbed him by the front of his robes, dragging him off to the dorm room. Avery and Wilkes following quickly behind, making sure no one else intervened.

He'd known this was coming since breakfast. Lily and Mary had gone to Professor McGonagall, telling her they were concerned that someone was planning to slip something in Mary's breakfast, they'd overheard people talking. Severus' name hadn't been mentioned, he'd even been searched alongside everyone else this morning. All students had been checked on their way into the Great Hall at breakfast time, and unsurprisingly, Mulciber was in possession of a small vial of an unknown potion.

With no proof of what he intended to do with the potion, all the teachers could do was confiscate it, and suggest he not carry unknown potions on his person, or attempt to use them on himself, or another student.

Once away from the rest of their house mates, Severus was pushed up against the cold, stone wall, Mulciber keeping a tight fistful of Severus' robes. The other two goons standing behind Mulciber, arms folded attempting to look menacing.

"Why, exactly, were we searched this morning, Snape?"Mulciber demanded quietly, dangerously.

"Now, that's something you'd have to ask McGonagall. I was searched too" Severus replied calmly, not that they would believe him

"Don't think we don't know" he growled "You warned your little _friend_ and she went running to her Head of House" he continued. Severus didn't answer. "You need to sort out your loyalties, this is getting ridiculous. If you want to get anywhere with the Dark Lord, get rid of the Mudblood!" he practically spat out

"And if I said I wasn't interested in the Dark Lord?" he asked quietly. Stupid question. He already knew.

"Then things are going to get a lot more painful. For you, and your pet. We've left her alone so far, but that's not going to last" Mulciber growled at him. Severus tried to struggle against him, fury growing

"Leave her alone!" he spat back at him. Mulciber smirked.

"If you're not with us, you're against us. We'll leave her alone, as long as you're with us. Do as you're told and we'll leave her be. Simple" he grinned, shoving him hard against the wall before releasing his robes. Snorting with laughter as Severus stumbled, struggling to stay on his feet.

The three boys left the room then, leaving Severus with his thoughts, thankfully alone once again. His thoughts had become a mish-mash of random musing once more. Misery at the thought of having to act like them, not to keep himself safe, he didn't much care about his own safety, he'd never been truly _safe_ in his life. But Lily's safety? He couldn't put her in danger. But doing what they said, acting like them would hurt Lily in a different way. He'd be letting her down, disappointing her in so many ways.

But, on the plus side, he and Lily had managed to stop the planned attack on Mary MacDonald. Even if they went on to organise something else - which they would - this was something they _had_ changed.

Severus went to retrieve one of the books from his trunk, lay back on his bed to continue his research. And he tried to cling on to that tiny spark of hope that was trying to ignite. Maybe, they really _could_ change the future.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Severus and Lily were seated by the lake, books scattered around them in various piles. For once, they'd decided to sit in the sunshine instead of hiding beneath the willow, keeping a wary eye out as students walked by; some alone, some in couples, some groups of friends. But nobody approached them.

Lily was grateful for the reprieve they seemed to be getting this weekend. They had spent Saturday in the library, trying to catch up on the weeks homework - well, helping Severus catch up on homework. They'd returned some of the books they'd borrowed the previous weekend, and taken out some more. Today they would see if they could make any sense of what had been happening to Severus.

Last night, Severus had started making a list of all the nightmares he'd had over the previous week. He would only tell her brief snippets of what he'd seen, refusing to elaborate on the details. He didn't want to upset her. He would only tell her that the dreams had been the same every night - apart from the night he'd dreamt about the attack on Mary MacDonald.

Every night he'd seen himself as a Death Eater, begging Dumbledore for help because Lily was in danger. Every night he'd seen her lifeless body. Every night he'd gazed into the eyes of You-know-who and felt his own life slipping away.

Apart from the last two nights. Friday and Saturday night he hadn't had a single dream - good or bad - and they both hoped that that was the end of it.

Lily had theorised out loud that perhaps with changing what happened to Mary, the other stuff had changed too, so he wasn't seeing it any more. Severus had argued, of course, probably not wanting to get his hopes up. Didn't want to relax and let his guard down, only for something else to present itself in his nightmares and keep sleep away again.

"So, what theories do we still have on the list then?" she finally asked. Severus turned to look at her, putting the book he'd been leafing through carefully to one side.

"Well, I think I'm glimpsing the future in some way" he sighed " Though how that's happening? _Why_ is it happening? Still no idea"

"Hmmm. I've never heard of anything like it, or read of anything similar so far"

"It just seems so specific. It's not like Divination, it's not like I have to interpret anything. I'm seeing the same specific events. Or at least, I was"

"Do you think that's the end of it?" she asked, looking over at him

"No" he shook his head as he met her eyes briefly, before staring out over the lake, "Somehow, I don't think this is over. I feel like I'm just waiting for the next dream. The next nightmare" he muttered

They both fell back into silence again, both staring at the lake, watching as the giant squid brushed a tentacle against the lakes surface. Severus finally broke the silence, just as she'd decided to turn her attention back to one of the books

"They're not happy with me" he whispered. Lily almost didn't hear him.

"Who? Your dorm mates?"

"Mmmm" he nodded

"What did they say?" she asked cautiously, not sure if he would tell her

"That I had to start doing what I'm told, basically. They're not happy that they got searched by McGonagall. I spoiled their little game by telling someone" he spoke quietly, no emotion in his voice.

"But you didn't tell Professor McGonagall, me and Mary did. We never mentioned your name, you were searched too!"

"Be that as it may, they're still mad at me. Taking it that I'm moving against them. They want me to prove my _loyalty_ to them"

"What! But you're not loyal to them. Are you?" she asked, panic and alarm entering her voice.

"No of course not!" he snapped "But if they think I am, it means I'm not a target. It means you're not a target" he added quietly. Lily drew in a deep breath and sighed, shifting herself closer to him to grab his hand.

"Sooner or later I will be a target because of my blood, whether or not you're with them, or pretending to be with them. You know that already" she told him softly "How far would they expect you to go to prove your loyalty?" Severus sighed then, squeezing her fingers

"It's not that simple" he whispered

"Yes it is. So, at school, if you do as they say, take part in tormenting other Muggleborn students, start calling them _Mudblood_ , then they'll leave me alone. Because _you_ want them to leave me alone, right?"

"Right" he nodded

"But what about when we leave school?"

"What do you mean?"

"Will they want you to keep doing as they say? They're going to be Death Eaters aren't they?" Severus nodded as she continued speaking "They will want you to become a Death Eater too. That's not pretend, Sev. You can't keep me safe by doing that! I will be a target to them, regardless of you, your loyalty" she knew she was right, she just hoped she could convince him of that. Whether he was with them or not, they would still be after her. Eventually Severus nodded, sighing as he squeezed her fingers, shifting his body slightly to face her.

"So what do we do then?" he asked

"We could talk to the Headmaster, about Mulciber and the others" Severus sighed and tried to pull his hand away "No, hear me out" she said keeping a firm hold of him "Just let him know you don't feel safe, he could keep a closer eye on them, he doesn't have to talk to them"

"Maybe" he shrugged

"You could mention your nightmares" she continued, he definitely needed to talk to someone. They'd got nowhere by themselves.

"Lily, I don't want to talk to anyone about that yet!" he snapped, his frustration obvious

"Ok, ok" she tried to calm him down "Not the nightmares then. I just think you're going to need to talk to someone sooner or later"

"If I have another nightmare, I'll think about it. Ok?" he said quietly. He didn't like to compromise, to give in. Even to her.

"It's only because I'm worried about you, you know" she explained, trying to soften the blow of giving in. "I do care about you, believe it or not"

"I know" he said, giving her a rare smile. A small smile, but it was there all the same, and she felt her own brightening in response.

He would be ok, they would both be ok. She could feel it.

...

Severus and Lily had spent another long day going through books and discussing a range of theories about the nightmares. At least they had been able to eliminate one of their theories - he hadn't been given something that would reveal his fears.

The more the nightmares continued, the more convinced he was that somehow, he was seeing glimpses of a miserable future, where the Dark Lord was waging war.

He didn't think he was suddenly becoming a Seer. He wasn't seeing symbols, or trying to decipher hidden meanings, or speaking in riddles. He was seeing what would happen if he continued to do as he was told by Mulciber. If he proved his loyalty to the Dark Lord. If he became a Death Eater. But he had no idea _why_.

He had told Lily as much as he dared to about the visions that plagued him, though he had no desire to reveal too much. He didn't want to keep seeing it himself. He'd also told her about the threats from Mulciber, and she had been adamant he not join them to keep her safe. She would never be safe while the Dark Lord was out there. A threat. She was right. He knew she was, he'd naively thought there had to be some way he could protect her.

No. If anything, after talking with her today, he was more determined to distance himself from his dorm mates. He didn't want to be like them, he'd just wanted to keep himself and Lily safe and unharmed. He would just have to find another way to do that. She was clear, she didn't want him to even pretend to be like them. If he avoided them, stayed on her side, then she could respect him. She would never question whether he was pretending, she would _know_ his loyalty was truly with her. No second guessing. No pretending. They could, they _would_ , fight side by side.

The air was getting cooler as they made their way back up to the castle for dinner. Both of them loaded down with books, some could go straight back to the library, most of them useless so far. No closer to figuring out the puzzle.

Severus had had two trouble free nights, which had left him with a mass of mixed feelings. Part of him was relieved, glad that those hideous images hadn't jarred him awake in the middle of the night. Part of him was frustrated, hoping that a different dream might present itself, offer up a clue to solve the riddle.

Although, that was more complicated now. He'd agreed he would think more seriously about talking to Dumbledore if he had another dream. And he would keep his word to Lily. Just the thought of discussing it with someone else - especially the Headmaster - unnerved him. He imagined Dumbledore would contact St Mungo's as soon as he'd heard him out. Lily had obviously been careful to avoid mental health issues being the cause so far. But it was only a matter of time before that was brought up. He just knew it.

"Do you want me to come to the library with you?" Lily asked, interrupting his thoughts. He'd been so distracted he hadn't even noticed they were already back in the castle.

"What? Oh, yes, please. If you want to anyway" _stop babbling_ he told himself. She looked amused, but nodded as they carried on walking.

"Wait, stop a minute" he said, suddenly feeling uneasy as he looked around

"What is it?" Lily asked, looking confused as she shifted the books in her arms.

"Nothing" he said shaking his head. He was confused himself, by the feeling that came over him, that he couldn't shake off "Well, maybe not _nothing_ " They carried on walking their usual route to the library

"What's the matter?" she asked him a minute later

"Just a funny feeling, like someone's waiting for us. Like there's a trap" he whispered.

"Do you want to go the long way?" she asked. He stopped walking and looked at her

"Yes" he nodded, relief creeping in at that thought "That's exactly what we need to do." Lily said nothing, just nodded in return as they increased their speed, changing direction to head up a staircase.

"Oi, Evans!" they heard Potter shouting from the bottom of the staircase, panting hard like he'd been running

"Just keep walking, Sev. Ignore him" Lily whispered, urging him to keep moving

"Don't say hello then" they heard Potter's voice again, though slightly more distant. Relief that, for now, he'd avoided a confrontation.

They slowed their speed as they rounded another corner, eager to reach the library and relieve themselves of a few of their books.

"How did you know Potter would be that way?" Lily finally asked

"I don't know" he shrugged "It was just a feeling. He always turns up, sooner or later. At least I've put it off for a while"

"Don't worry, I'll tell him to 'sod off' again later. Not that it does much good" she muttered, shaking her head. Severus snorted, amused at the thought of Lily flying into a rage at Potter and the others. A warm feeling inside, that she would stand up to them on his behalf. Nobody ever stood up for him. Nobody except Lily. But for him, that was enough.

...

 _Severus followed the others into the cold, dark basement room. Lanterns flickering on the walls, providing a dim light, just enough to find their way in._

 _Severus and the three others walked into the centre of the circle of Death Eaters. Taking his place in the line. The Dark Lord at the head of the circle, standing on a stone step, facing away. Waiting._

 _"Welcome" the Dark Lord whispered eerily, turning to face the eager young men. "The four of you have proven yourselves worthy" he stepped down now, towards the line. "Kneel" he commanded. The four men instantly obeyed, excitement and anticipation coursing through their veins._

 _Severus had been waiting a long time for this, following the direction of Mulciber through his time at Hogwarts, Lucius Malfoy overseeing their efforts. Waiting for the right time to be welcomed officially to the Dark Lord's ranks. To receive his Mark, and his mask, and take his rightful place in the War raging against Muggles and Mudbloods. He would crush them as they deserved, along with any who had dared to oppress him in his younger days - his drunken Muggle father. Potter. Black. And the rest of them. They would all suffer. All regret making him a victim._

 _Now, he had proven himself, taking part in the raids. The fights. The torture. He had brewed anything that would aid the Dark Lord's quest. He would be respected. Feared._

 _"Arm" the Dark Lord ordered, evil hazel eyes meeting Severus' own cold, dark ones. Severus presented his left arm to his Master, awaiting his gift. The Dark Lord pushed his robes to his elbow, touching the tip of his wand to Severus' pale skin "Welcome, Severus Snape". An evil grin passed over Severus' face as the skull appeared, evil snake slithering into position._

 _"My Lord" Severus responded, dipping his head respectfully._

 _Finally, he was one of them._

His own scream woke him, as he clutched desperately at his arm. Terrified at the prospect of finding something than his unblemished skin. Of course, it was as pale and clear as ever.

Nausea quickly swept over him, sending him dashing to the bathroom, emptying what little that had been in his stomach into the toilet.

"No, it's not going to happen" he whispered through the sobs, shaking his head as he stood.

It couldn't happen. _Could it?_

"No!" he roared, punching the mirror as he caught his own reflection. A pointless act of anger and fear.

Severus Snape was well and truly afraid.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Lily sat nervously at her desk in the Transfiguration classroom. Professor McGonagall was already checking students were present and ready for the day. And Severus was nowhere to be seen.

She knew in her gut that something was wrong. He hadn't been at breakfast, and he wasn't here now. Either another nightmare had come to him, shaken him, and had him shutting himself away again; or his dorm mates had done something to him. In a twisted way, she hoped it was his dorm mates. Sadly, Severus was rather adept at handling, and recovering from physical pain. More so than a 16 year old should be anyway.

Professor McGonagall was talking, introducing the lesson. Lily wasn't listening. She alternated between jabbing with her quill on the desk, biting her fingernails, and glancing over her shoulder at the door. With a huff and a distracted sigh, she started tapping her fingers on the desk.

"Something wrong, Miss Evans?" Professor McGonagall asked sharply, making Lily jump as she appeared in front of her desk.

"What? Oh, um, no. Sorry Professor" she felt her face turning red as she tried to ignore the giggles the rest of the class were trying to suppress.

"Well perhaps we could leave the drumming for a music class?" she posed, raising an eyebrow as she walked away from Lily's desk.

"Yes. Sorry Professor" she replied quickly, wringing her hands in her lap to stop herself tapping. Just as Professor McGonagall reached the front of the classroom again, the door suddenly burst open. Lily turned sharply in her chair, hoping to see Severus striding in and making his way over to her.

"Good morning, Headmaster" Professor McGonagall greeted politely. Lily's shoulders slumped as she realised it was not who she was hoping to see

"Good morning indeed, Professor McGonagall. My apologies for the disruption, I need to borrow Miss Evans" he explained with a smile. Lily froze, _why would he need to see her?_ Unless...

"Of course, Headmaster. Miss Evans, you are excused" she nodded to her, Lily nodded in return, eyes widening.

"Bring your belongings, Miss Evans, we may be a while" he said calmly, still smiling which unnerved her. Hurriedly, she threw her things into her bag and followed him out of the classroom, ignoring the whispers that followed her.

Lily followed the Headmaster in silence, worried about where they were headed. Worried about what could have happened that required her removal from a class. Was it Severus? Was he in trouble? Had someone hurt him? Had he hurt _himself?_

"Sir, where are we going?" she asked finally, unable to stand the silence

"The Hospital Wing, Miss Evans"

"The Hospital Wing? Severus?" she asked, worry fast becoming fear. Dumbledore stopped walking and turned to speak to her

"Yes, Miss Evans. Do not overly worry, it is nothing serious" he added, obviously seeing the panic written on her face "He is a little agitated this morning, a minor injury"

"Agitated? How? What injury?" she blurted out, not even waiting for answers as she carried on walking, desperately needing to get to him _now_.

"Miss Evans, he is fine. Or at least, he will be. He is asking for you. He is refusing to let Madam Pomfrey heal his injury until you're there" he explained as he followed her

"That's not like him, he usually tries to hide it when someone puts him in the Hospital Wing" she frowned, shaking her head.

"Indeed he does. He is obviously in need of some support. And he trusts you, Miss Evans"

"I should think he does!"

"Is there something troubling Mr Snape?" Lily stopped and turned to face the Headmaster again. She desperately wanted to tell him everything. The nightmares. Potter and the Marauders. Slytherin. But it wasn't her decision to make. She couldn't betray Severus' trust like that, even if it would help him

"I think you really need to ask Severus that, Sir" she replied quietly

"Please do talk to him, Miss Evans. Do let him know he can come to me, for any reason. If he needs _guidance_ , my door will always be open for him" he said kindly

"Yes, Sir, I'll talk to him" she nodded.

The rest of the journey was made in silence, quickly arriving at the Hospital Wing and pushing open the heavy double doors. Lily scanned the room, looking along the row of empty beds. The last bed, in the far corner, had the curtain partially drawn, she could see Madam Pomfrey standing at the foot of the bed, hands on hips, looking over the occupant.

Madam Pomfrey looked up as Lily and Dumbledore made their way along the row and motioned for them to come down

"Is she here?" she heard Severus asking

"Yes, Mr Snape, she's here" she shot Lily an exasperated look as she approached his bed "I'll be in my office with the Headmaster" she announced to the pair "talk some sense into him please, Miss Evans" she whispered to Lily on her way passed to join Dumbledore in her office.

Lily stood at the foot of the bed, looking over Severus, who at this moment, looked perfectly calm. No sign of agitation, no sign of injury. Lily was confused as she took a seat in the chair beside his bed. Waiting for him to talk. He said nothing, just stared at her, as she looked at him.

"So what happened?" she asked quietly. Severus shrugged "Sev? Dumbledore said you were hurt. Did someone hurt you? Or did you...?" she couldn't finish the sentence.

"I punched a mirror. A couple of times" he answered, showing her his hand, cuts still there

"Any particular reason?"

"Yes" he sighed, "But I'm not talking about it here" _Ah, nightmare then_. She nodded her understanding

"Why wouldn't you let Madam Pomfrey heal you?"

"I wasn't thinking straight" he admitted "I wanted to talk to you"

"The Headmaster said you were 'agitated'" she said carefully

"I was. I didn't want to be alone" he said quietly as he looked away. She shifted her chair closer and took his hand, the uninjured one, threading their fingers together

"He wants you to talk to him, Sev." He shook his head

"Not yet"

"Sev..."

"Lily, not yet. Please. Did you say anything to him?" he asked, suddenly sounding alarmed

"No, it's not for me to tell. Only you can decide when it's time to talk" she tried to reassure him. He nodded then, taking a deep breath as he relaxed back against the pillows, closing his eyes.

"Could you at least tell him you're worried about your dorm mates? Tell him you punched the mirror instead of retaliating against them?" at least if he did that it would put off talking about the nightmares, and keep the door open to talk more further down the line.

Severus stayed quiet for a few minutes, either lost in thought or mulling it over, before he met her eyes and nodded.

"I'll talk to him about them. Will you stay with me while I talk to him?" he asked her, still looking worried.

"If you want me to stay, I'll stay" she nodded. "Do you think Madam Pomfrey can take a look at your hand now? For me?" if he wouldn't do it for himself, maybe he would do it for her. He rolled his eyes as the corner of his mouth twitched towards a smile. _He was on to her then._

"Fine. For you" he finally answered. Lily smiled and nodded. A small victory. A start at least. She would need to find out about the nightmare later, whatever it was, it couldn't have been good. Whatever he'd seen had had him punching a mirror and refusing treatment until he felt safe again. He was safe now, and she would keep doing whatever she could to keep him that way

...

Severus lay back against the soft pillows of the hospital bed, desperately hoping for sleep. The broken nights he'd had this week were only adding to the anxiety in his chest. Anxiety which was growing again after a new nightmare. However much he denied it, two nights without a hint of a dream had lulled him into a false sense of security. Security which had come crashing down around him at the sight of His Mark. The anger, the frustration and self loathing had bubbled up so high, he'd felt the only thing he could do was smash the mirror. He's barely felt the physical pain with the first punch, glass splintering and embedding into his knuckles with the second punch.

He had planned on hiding all day, focussing on the sharp pain that had taken over his hand. It was easier to focus on that than the pain in his mind. The pain in his chest. The hopeless misery. But his resolve didn't last, and by the time he'd decided he could talk to Lily, she would already be in their first class of the day.

So he went to the Hospital Wing, he'd asked Madam Pomfrey if Lily could be fetched. She had refused. He had panicked, his breathing becoming shallower and more rapid. He tried to tell himself he didn't really _need_ Lily, he _could_ do this alone. He knew he was lying to himself. He needed her.

Eventually Madam Pomfrey had contacted Dumbledore, and he agreed to fetch Lily. She could come, calm him down. Make things ok again.

Now, she was sat beside his bed, holding his hand, the two of them in silence. She knew _why_ he'd smashed the mirror, but not the details of the nightmare. He would share that later, when they were truly alone. Where Madam Pomfrey, and especially Dumbledore, couldn't overhear them. He would talk to the Headmaster eventually. But not today.

Footsteps approaching the bed brought him back to the room, eyes snapping open to glance cautiously at Madam Pomfrey and the Headmaster. Neither of them looked angry, and he didn't know if that was a good thing or not. Lily squeezed his fingers in reassurance.

"Can I take a look at your hand now then, Mr Snape?" Madam Pomfrey asked, stepping to the side of the bed. Severus nodded and held out his bloodied knuckles. She began healing him without a word, removing the glass carefully, summoning a potion to clean his wounds.

"What is happening, Mr Snape?" Dumbledore asked carefully

"Just a few problems with my dorm mates, Sir"

"Would you care to elaborate?" Severus sighed "Would you prefer to talk alone?" he asked as he looked over at Lily

"No," Severus shook his head "Lily already knows everything that's going on" he explained

"I'm pleased you have a friend to confide in"

"It's just difficult, to talk about, Sir. If they found out..."

"This will not go any further than this room, unless you say otherwise, Severus" he assured him. Severus drew in a deep breath as Dumbledore pulled up a chair on the opposite side of the bed to Lily, Madam Pomfrey headed back to her office now his hand was healed.

"Some of my dorm mates had planned to attack Mary MacDonald last week" he began "I told Lily about it, so they could avoid it. They are not happy they were stopped. They are not happy with me"

"You didn't want Miss MacDonald to be hurt?"

"Of course not. Nobody should be hurt" he snapped

"No, they shouldn't, Severus"

"They have made their _career intentions_ clear, Sir" he said, meeting his eyes

"And you do not wish to follow the same path?"

"No" he said, shaking his head firmly

"And they are aware of this?"

"Yes" he nodded "I think this has them more upset with me than they originally were. They want me to 'do as I'm told' or they will hurt me. They'll hurt Lily" he said as he looked away

"And you wish to protect her?"

"I can't protect her by becoming one of them"

"No" Dumbledore agreed, smiling "So, what can we do to help you, Severus?"

"I have no idea, Sir" he admitted

"Well. I think to start with, we watch. If I start questioning them now, it will only draw attention to yourself and Miss Evans. Avoid them whenever you can, and come to myself or Professor Slughorn if they make any direct threats" Severus nodded, distance was needed. Gather the information. Keep watching. Waiting.

"Your injury, Severus?" Severus lifted his hand, turning it over to look at his now clean skin "Self inflicted?" he raised an eyebrow

"Yes, Sir. I was...frustrated"

"Is there something else troubling you?"

"No, Sir" he shook his head as Dumbledore's gaze pierced him

"Are you quite certain, Severus?"

"Yes, Sir"

"In that case, I shall leave you to get some rest. I think you need it" he smiled "My door is open, should you wish to talk. When the time is right." Severus could only nod as the Headmaster rose from the chair and swept out of the Hospital Wing.

As the door closed, Severus let out a groan of frustration

"What's wrong?" Lily asked softly

"I think, he knows" he said as he met her eyes

"How?"

"I don't know. But I guess I'm going to have to talk to him sooner, rather than later" he sighed "You should be getting back to class anyway" he told her, changing the subject.

"Are you sure, I don't mind staying"

"No, go. You can fill me in on what I've missed later"

"Only if you're sure" she said as she stood

"I'm going to try and get some sleep. We'll talk about everything later" he reassured her as best he could

"Ok then. Get some rest. For your sake" she whispered, pushing the hair away from his forehead. All he could do was nod and stare at her, "See you later, Sev" she said as she pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead before she grabbed her bag and quickly left.

He exhaled heavily as the doors closed behind her, _she kissed me_ , was the only thought his brain could process as he closed his eyes. The feel of her kiss still lingering on his forehead as he drifted off to sleep. Maybe today wasn't so bad after all.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 _Severus was walking, stooped over in the low tunnel, the cool earthy air clung to his nostrils. It was heading towards Summer now but the evening air still had a definite chill to it, and underground it was colder still._

 _Severus followed the figures ahead as quickly as he could, as the tunnel twisted and turned. The uneven floor and random tree roots made it difficult to maintain any kind of speed. The two boys he was following had clearly been down here before. He knew that already. Tonight he was just getting confirmation. Even though he would do no good, Lily still wouldn't believe him. She never would. Even though it was so obvious. Never mind, he would argue that with her later._

 _Severus cursed under his breath as he lost sight of the figures, tripping over another exposed root as he tried to hurry. He could see the tunnel was opening out up ahead, could see a faint light on the ground, could hear voices talking quietly. Muffled sounds that were difficult to hear, too hard to pick out the words._

 _Severus rounded the corner to see Remus Lupin, his back to him, hunched over. A black dog and a brown rat at his feet. Waiting._

 _Lupin screamed, the sickening crack of bone as his body began to shift, every part of him stretching, twisting, changing. The werewolf was coming. And Severus could not move. Transfixed at the sight before him, terror freezing his insides, rooting him to the spot as he stared at the transformation taking place in front of him._

 _A hand grasped his arm, dragging him backwards, back into the tunnel. He tried to fight his attacker off, but they were stronger, and had taken him by surprise. A hand was pressed over his mouth as they stumbled._

 _"Don't make a sound, Snape, just get back through the tunnel" Potter whispered harshly. He followed Potter into the tunnel, dashing as quickly as he was able, keeping close to the Marauder in front of him._

 _His heart rate increasing as he heard the howls of the Werewolf behind him, frantic scrabbles at the entrance to the tunnel. The howls faded as they continued their escape through the Earth._

 _After what felt like an eternity, the two made their exit from the tunnel, the Whomping Willow silenced for the time being. Potter was panting on his hands and knees, Severus sprawled on the floor, mind dazed. The reality of what he'd witnessed sinking in._

 _"What the Hell were you doing down there, Snape?" Potter yelled furiously_

 _"Are you fucking serious, Potter?" Severus yelled back, jumping to his feet and grabbing Potter by the front of his robes "He's a bloody Werewolf!" he spat_

 _"I know, I know! You can't tell anyone, the Ministry..."_

 _"Like I care!"_

 _"What did you listen to Black for? Why did you go down there?"_

 _"To prove what I already know!" Severus released Potter with a shove and turned to head back up to the Castle._

 _"What are you going to do?"_

 _"I am going to talk to the Headmaster. About Lupin, and you and your little friends" he spat out furiously before continuing his way back inside. Back to safety._

 _..._

Severus was sat at the Slytherin table, picking at some dry toast. Glaring at the Marauders on the other side of the Hall, bouncing around as usual, making spectacles of themselves. Lily was sat with Mary and Alice, talking quietly. She gave a small smile and a wave as she noticed him there this morning. Severus nodded his head, but he couldn't wipe the expression from his face.

The Slytherins had ignored him since their threat, some small thing to be thankful for. But he'd had two new nightmares. Being marked by Him - which had been truly disturbing. And seeing Remus Lupin transform into a Werewolf. Which he already knew, even if nobody believed him. It was just obvious that he was one.

He hadn't had chance to talk to Lily about either nightmare yet, he didn't want to talk in the Hospital Wing the day before, he didn't want anyone else to know. But he had the sinking feeling that Dumbledore _knew_ something. More than he was letting on, leaving him with a gentle prompt to come and seek him out, when he was ready. He didn't know if he would ever truly be _ready_. To share his nightmares and reveal a part of himself. To trust someone other than Lily with his fears. To be vulnerable.

Severus got up to follow as he noticed Lily gathering up her bag. She waited as she saw him approach, sending her friends on ahead of her.

"How are you feeling today?" she asked quietly. Severus shrugged

"I've been better" he admitted "I'm going to talk to him"

"Oh" she said surprised, "Are you going now?"

"After classes today. I still need time to think, and I have a couple more dreams to add to the list"

"Last night?"

"Yes" he nodded "Another one last night, and that's why I need to talk to him"

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"Yes. Please" he nodded, relieved that she'd offered " I need to talk to you first, but we have classes"

"Mmm, we don't have a class together until this afternoon"

"Lunch time. We'll grab something quick and find somewhere to talk. Is that ok?"

"Yes, that's fine Sev"

"You're not going to like it though"

"Whatever it is, we'll figure it out, ok?" she said, squeezing his hand

"I don't think you'll believe me" he said sadly. She frowned at that. The Hall was almost empty now, students and teachers all filing out quickly to get to their classes

"I promise, we'll figure it out" she said, searching his face

"I'll meet you here at lunch time" he told her quietly, squeezing her fingers one last time before letting her go. She nodded as she stepped away from him, before turning and making her way quickly from the Hall.

Severus watched her go, leaving him alone again. Hoping that this time, she would listen, that she would believe him. Every time he had brought up Lupin before, she had argued against his theory. In her mind, there was no possible way Remus Lupin was a Werewolf. Severus knew differently. He'd suspected for a while. Now, he knew it for a fact.

...

"Do please take a seat, Mr Snape, Miss Evans" Dumbledore greeted them both kindly. Lily and Severus both sat quickly "Would either of you care for some tea?" he offered. Both shook their heads. "So Severus, I believe we need to talk?"

"Yes, Sir" he said, glancing at Lily before beginning. She reached for his hand, offering him what reassurance she could "How much do you already know?"

"Very little, Severus. Why don't you start at the beginning" he prompted. Lily felt him tense beside her, taking deep breaths to keep himself calm.

"I've been having nightmares. Very... _vivid_ nightmares. They feel real, Sir"

"Real?" he questioned

"That's the only way I can describe it. They feel like things that have happened"

"And these are bad things?"

"Yes. Very bad things. I can't let them happen" Severus said quietly

"What have you seen in your dreams, Severus?"

"Death. My death, and..." he trailed off mid-sentence

"And?" the Headmaster prompted

"My death, Sir" Lily finished for him. Severus had covered his face with his free hand, withdrawing from the conversation

"Yours, Miss Evans?" Lily looked at Severus, trying to decide if she should continue for him

"He told me that's what he'd seen. And he'd seen himself in Death Eater robes" she looked at Severus again, seeking permission to carry on "Sunday night, he saw himself being Marked. As a Death Eater" the three sat in silence for a moment, Dumbledore glancing between herself and Severus.

"Is this true, Severus?" Severus nodded as he finally removed his hand

"Yes, Sir" Severus sighed "I keep having nightmares like this, and they feel real, like it's going to happen"

"And you do not want to be a Death Eater, Severus?" Dumbledore asked calmly

"No I don't want to be a bloody Death Eater!" he snapped

"I guess that's why the nightmares are so troubling for you" Severus nodded "And why you are so adamant not to follow your dorm mates career path?" Severus nodded again. "Are they aware of your nightmares?"

"Of course not" Severus snapped "The only person I've spoken to is Lily. I wouldn't trust anyone else"

"Not me, Severus?" Dumbledore asked. Severus sighed

"It's not that simple, Sir. I don't trust anyone" he admitted. Lily knew he didn't trust others the same way that she did, but hearing him admit that was sad. He felt he had to rely on himself for everything. And her. Though she knew she fell short sometimes, she'd let him down before. Didn't always trust him.

"What's happening to me, Headmaster?" Severus asked sadly. That was the big question. What was happening?

"Now, that is something I can't yet answer. There are a number of possibilities, some of them simple, some complex..."

"Am I going insane?" Severus interrupted

"You're not insane, Sev" Lily tried to reassure him. Dumbledore smiled

"I agree with Miss Evans, I do not believe you are _insane_ " he smiled "Have any of your dreams come to fruition?"

"I dreamt about an attack on Mary MacDonald, I told Lily about it. Then my dorm mates told me the details of what they had planned"

"And Professor McGonagall was able to intervene" Lily finished. Dumbledore nodded

"So the outcome of your dream was altered?" both Lily and Severus nodded "I think it would be wise for you to ensure no one else discovers your dreams"

"You don't think I'm becoming a Seer, do you?" Severus asked carefully, sceptically.

"It is a possibility. Though highly unlikely. But others may come to that conclusion. That could be...dangerous"

"Dangerous?" Lily asked, worried

"Assumptions are always dangerous, Lily. Is there anything else you wish to discuss today?"

"Last night, I dreamt about being in the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack" Severus started

"Tunnel, Severus?"

"I know you're aware of the tunnel, I saw Lupin in there. I know he's a Werewolf!" his voice was starting to rise now, emotions getting the better of him. Lily wasn't sure how to discuss it, she didn't believe he was a Werewolf. Or perhaps, she didn't _want_ to believe it. She'd let Severus down on this subject before, he kept presenting her with evidence, she kept brushing it off. Telling him that's what he wanted to believe because of the way the Marauders treated him. He wanted to get them in trouble. She couldn't keep doing that, she had to trust him.

"Severus, I believe you when you tell me your dreams feel real, but when it comes to Mr Lupin..."

"No!" Severus snapped, jumping from his seat

"Severus, please, just stay calm" Lily stood, placing her hand on his arm

"I know you don't believe me, Lily" he said, turning to face her

"I do, Sev. I believe you" she told him, staring straight into his eyes, willing him to believe her "Just, getting mad isn't going to help" she said gently. She felt him relax, his eyes softening.

"Headmaster, I know you do not want to 'acknowledge' Lupin's condition, but I know something is going to happen, his friends will see to that" he explained, much more calmly. Dumbledore sighed as he looked at Severus. They all knew he wouldn't confirm was Severus believed. He couldn't.

"I suggest we continue our discussion another day, Severus. I believe we have much to talk about, but I also believe you need to get some rest" Severus nodded. He looked exhausted, the fight drained from him. Lily nodded

"Come on, Severus" she said quietly

"We'll talk at the end of the week, unless you need to see me before then" Dumbledore told him. Severus nodded and moved towards the door, Lily following close behind "Perhaps you should see Madam Pomfrey, for some Dreamless Sleep, you really do need some rest" Severus shook his head and carried on walking. Lily turned back to face the Headmaster

"It doesn't stop his nightmares, Sir" she told him sadly, meeting his confused gaze

"Oh? Curious" he replied, still looking confused. Lily nodded and left the room, eager to catch up with Severus.

Curious indeed.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Alright, Snivellus" Sirius Black smirked, sinking into a chair opposite him at his table at the back of the library

"What do you want, Black?"Severus drawled in a bored voice, not even bothering to look up from his book

"Tut, tut, Snivelly, I've got something for you, something that might just interest you"

"Oh really?" Severus replied, still bored, still looking at his book "What could you possibly have for me?"

"Information. I know how much you _love_ information" Black grinned

"Indeed. Why would you bring me information, Black?" Severus asked, finally looking at the annoying Marauder seated opposite

"Well, if you don't want to know" he shrugged

"Why would I trust a word that comes out of your mouth? If you're bringing me information it's most certainly for your benefit. Not mine" he stated, turning his attention back to his book

"I can't make you believe me, but I have my reasons"

"I'm bored, Black. If you're that desperate to tell me, just do it and piss off" Severus drawled.

"I know how much you enjoy sniffing around Remus" Black began. Severus rolled his eyes _here we go_ "the information I have for you will answer a lot of your questions. And it just has to be seen to be believed" he grinned

"Whatever. I've got more important things to be doing than snooping around you and your little friends, Black"

"Just go to the Whomping Willow, tomorrow night, between 9 and 9.30"

"The Whomping Willow? Very funning, trying to get a tree to do your dirty work now?"

"Little known fact about the Whomping Willow though, you can switch it off for a bit"

"Switch it off?" he asked, meeting Black's eyes again

"Yes" he grinned "There's a knot, you can press it with a branch, the tree will stay still and you can get into the tunnel"

"Really?" Severus tried to sound like he didn't believe him. He knew after his dream that this was coming, he hadn't realised it would be happening so soon.

"Like I said, believe me, or don't. I don't care" Black shrugged. He _did_ care, he wanted Severus to come face to face with a Werewolf. He knew that, he wasn't stupid.

"Does Lupin know you're giving out information about his hiding place?" Severus posed, raising an eyebrow, pleased at the moment of shock that passed over Black's face as he stood to leave

"Obviously not" he said quietly

"What makes you think I won't tell him? Let him know his friend can't be trusted" Severus asked quietly

"You won't do that" Black stated, though he didn't look completely convinced "You're too bloody nosy, always poking that beak of yours where it doesn't belong"

"Is that so? Are you sure about that?" Severus challenged, smirking. Black maintained the eye contact, though shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably

"Oh, you'll be there" he stated confidently

"What's going on?" Lily's voice disturbed the staring contest between the two boys, shifting her attention between the smirking Severus, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest, and the uncomfortable looking Black.

"Hello, Lily. Nothing to worry about, Black was just leaving, isn't that right?" Severus spoke quietly, carefully

"Yeah, right" he mumbled "See you, Evans" Black turned then and swept quickly out the library, tension still hanging in the air

"So what was that about then?" Lily asked once Black was finally out of sight

"Black just wanted to pass along some information" he told her quietly

"Information? Why?" she asked, looking confused

"Out of the goodness of his heart" he grinned

"Yeah right, course he did, silly me" she sniggered

"No, he wanted to tell me how to get into the tunnel under the Whomping Willow" he said seriously

"What? The tunnel in your dream?"

"He wants me to open it tomorrow night. And you know what's tomorrow night?" he asked gently, saying nothing at her confused face. Waiting for her to figure it out

"Oh!" she gasped as the realisation dawned on him "Full Moon?" she whispered. Severus nodded

"Precisely." He muttered a _muffliato_ before continuing "Look, I know you didn't believe me when I said it before"

"No, Sev, I didn't _want_ to believe it" Lily interrupted

"But obviously Lupin _is_ a Werewolf" Lily nodded sadly as he continued "Black wants me to 'meet' him tomorrow night"

"Why? That's insane!"

"Probably to scare the shit out of me"

"You're not going to go, are you?" she asked looking worried

"Not this time. I probably would have done if he'd told me that last month" he admitted

"Why? Are _you_ insane?"

"To prove I'm right. I don't need to do that now, do I?" he grinned, remarkably happy at this turn of events "Besides, I have a better idea"

"Oh?" she asked dubiously, probably thinking he had some sinister scheme in mind

"I'm going to talk to the Headmaster again" he stated simply

"Oh" she said, looking incredibly relieved

"I'll just tell him Black has told me how to get into the tunnel, and the time to be there. I'm sure Dumbledore can arrange a little 'surprise party' for him" he smiled. Lily laughed

"Well, that's a relief" she grinned

"Indeed it is" he agreed, still grinning himself

"So, another dream altered then?" she smiled

"I hadn't thought of that" he said raising his eyebrows. Of course he'd thought of that

"Liar" she laughed "Shall we go and talk to the Headmaster then?"

"Yes, let's go. The sooner, the better" he agreed as he packed away the few books he had on the table.

The two friends quickly left the library, with a new found spring in their steps, and a plan to alter their reality from the vision he'd seen.

...

"Ah, Mr Snape, Miss Evans, do come in, take a seat. Tea?" the Headmaster offered as the two entered his office.

"No, thank you, Sir" Severus answered as they took the seats in front of his desk "We'll keep this brief"

"I must say, you're looking much better today, Severus" Dumbledore smiled at him

"Thank you, Sir. I'm feeling rather well at the moment. But I'm here for a specific purpose"

"I see. Is this related to one of your dreams by any chance?" he asked, leaning back in his chair, gazing curiously at Severus

"Yes, Sir, the dream related to Mr Lupin.." Severus began

"Severus..." Dumbledore interrupted, drawing in a breath

"I know you do not wish to confirm his status as a Werewolf, I _know_ he is one. And so do his friends" he said calmly. Dumbledore's brow furrowed in thought, cool blue eyes piercing his own as he mulled over his statement "Sirius Black came to me in the library a short time ago, to tell me how to get into the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow"

"Sirius Black?" Dumbledore frowned

"Yes, Sir. He told me to 'prod the knot" between 9 and 9.30 tomorrow night, and I would find out something about Lupin, that 'had to be seen to be believed'" he finished, maintaining eye contact with the Headmaster

"This is a very serious turn of events" the Headmaster sighed

"I know tomorrow night is a full moon, Sir. And I know it would be dangerous for Lupin if it were widely known"

"Yes indeed, Severus. The whole situation could be very dangerous. It must not be made public knowledge" he said sadly

"I know, Sir. I have no intention of heading into that tunnel"

"I should hope not, best case scenario..."

"I get scared half to death. Yes, sounds wonderful, Sir. Worst case scenario, I end up dead. Or a Werewolf" he snorted

"None of these outcomes would be welcome in the slightest, Severus"

"But obviously Lupin's friends are aware of his condition, I would assume because he trusts them. If Black is willing to try and get me into the tunnel with Lupin in his Werewolf form, who's to say he won't try and do it to someone else if he dislikes them" he spoke calmly, no reason to get angry this time. Lily sat beside him, still and quiet, holding his hand in silent support.

"That is extremely worrying, Severus" Dumbledore acknowledged sadly. Severus nodded.

"I don't think Lupin is aware that Black is sharing this information. I think Black is trying to play a little _prank_ on me"

"I think I am going to have to have a little conversation with Mr Lupin and his friends" he said shaking his head

"I would suggest meeting Black by the Whomping Willow tomorrow night. You know he'll deny it if you talk to him before then"

"And he needs to take his friends safety more seriously" Dumbledore nodded "I do need your word this will not be discussed with anyone else. Both of you" he stated, shifting his attention between the two students.

"Yes, Sir. I have more important things on my mind these days" Severus smiled

"Of course, Sir." Lily quickly agreed. Dumbledore nodded in approval, Severus knew he trusted Lily, he wasn't sure if Dumbledore trusted him yet. He had made some questionable choices in the last two years in particular, in his increasing contact with his Slytherin dorm mates.

"Very well. If you leave this matter with me then, I shall investigate" he said giving them a small smile of relief "I am sure Mr Black will make his displeasure known to yourself" he added, concern on his features

"Probably, Sir. They're upset with me every time they set eyes on me" Severus sighed. Lily squeezed his hand

"When would you care to meet again, Severus?" Dumbledore asked him

"I'm not sure, Sir" he wasn't sure if he was ready to discuss it all just yet, he'd only brought the nightmares up with him this soon due to the situation with Lupin, Black had just forced the issue.

"I think it could take a while to get to the bottom of this situation. It won't be long before the term is over"

"Hmm" Severus frowned, he knew there wasn't long left of the school year, but he hadn't really thought about what would happen if the nightmares continued over the summer.

"Perhaps Sunday? That will give me time to meet with Mr Lupin and Mr Black. And I believe there is a Hogsmeade visit on Saturday. It may do you some good to escape from the Castle for a short time" he posed

"Sunday. Yes, Sir" Severus agreed, that still left him a few days to get his thoughts in some sort of order

"I understand you feel happier having Miss Evans accompany you, but do think about coming to see me alone" Severus felt his grip tighten on Lily's hand "That's not something you need to decide right now. Decide on the day" he suggested with a smile

"I will...think about it, Sir" he stated. Not at all happy with the prospect of meeting him alone. He didn't know why, but he felt much calmer with Lily beside him. Almost like a security blanket.

"Very well. If I do not see you before, I shall you here on Sunday" he said kindly, Lily and Severus standing to leave

"Yes, Sir. Goodnight" Severus said

"Goodnight, Sir" Lily added. Dumbledore nodded at the two as they left his office.

Severus and Lily made their way back down the staircase, heading out to the main part of the castle

"So, that went well, Sev" Lily stated

"Better than I expected it to" he admitted "No word about it to Black, Potter, or any of the Marauders" he reminded her

"Of course not. Serves them right. I wonder what punishment they'll get? Hopefully something _unpleasant_ " she grinned

"We can but hope" he smirked in response. Severus looked at her carefully, realising that he still had a hold of her hand. Lily turned to smile at him as he squeezed her fingers, but she didn't pull away.

"So, it's a Hogsmeade weekend" he stated, trying to gauge her reaction "Are you going with Mary and Alice?"

"I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it" she replied quietly, still smiling "How about you? Are you going with anyone?" she asked

"Not yet"

"Not yet?" she queried, raising an eyebrow

"Why don't we go?" he finally asked

"Just the two of us?" she smiled. He panicked. He knew how that sounded

"We haven't been just the two of us for over a year. I've been with my _friends_ , you've been with yours" he tried to explain, hoping to make it sound less like a date, even though that's what he wanted it to be. Her smile widened. Maybe she wanted a date. _Don't be silly Severus_

"That sounds wonderful, Sev" she admitted. Severus let out a breath

"Really?"

"You sound surprised" she laughed

"I just thought you'd want to go with your friends" he tried to reason

"I'd rather go with my best friend." He nodded. Best friend. That was all. Even though they were still holding hands. When _did_ things get so complicated?

Before they knew it, they were standing in front of the Fat Lady's portrait, ready to leave Lily to enter the lion's den before he headed back to the dungeons.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow then, Sev. Potions, first thing" she told him with a smile

"Yep. Potions" he agreed. Still holding her hand. She pulled him forward into a hug, her arms wrapping around his waist. Taken by surprise, it took a moment to recover and return the hug, hoping she didn't hear his heart beat thudding as she rested her head on his chest.

He couldn't help but notice the blush on her cheeks as they finally separated. He wanted nothing more than to press his lips to hers. For a moment, he thought she might be thinking the same. He couldn't do. _Could he?_ What if he was wrong?

"Goodnight then, Lily" he finally spoke, the moment broken as took a step back

"Goodnight, Sev" she replied softly, searching his face, looking like she was trying to make sense of her own thoughts. He watched as she gave the password to the Fat Lady and disappeared through the portrait hole with a final glance over her shoulder.

Severus sighed deeply. Something had definitely shifted between them, they seemed to have grown closer than ever over the previous two weeks. Maybe it was in his head. Maybe she felt the same. Maybe he would find out on Saturday on their day in Hogsmeade.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"So how do you think Potter and Black are feeling this morning?" Severus smirked as he walked alongside Lily on their way to Charms.

"No idea" she laughed "I didn't see them in the common room this morning"

"Or at breakfast" he added

"Must be bad if they're missing meals"

"Serves them right, it's about time things were taken seriously" he said quietly. Lily nodded as they leaned against the corridor wall outside the classroom; taking a quiet moment alone as students started heading inside.

Last night had been the full moon, and Dumbledore had given his assurance that the Marauders would be met in order to properly discuss the seriousness of Remus Lupin's condition, and the difficulties he would face if it were made public knowledge. Severus could only hope they had also been given detention (preferably several) doing something disgusting to really hammer the point home.

"Too right, Sev" she agreed "Let's get inside while we can still get seats together" she said as the grabbed his arm. Severus let her lead him inside, feeling more relaxed than he could remember feeling for a long time.

"You!" Black yelled from across the classroom as the door closed behind them. Black and Potter jumped out of their seats, wands drawn, virtually flying at him. Severus pushed Lily behind him, trying to keep her out of the Marauders way.

"What's the problem now, Black?" Severus asked, annoyed at the boys in front of him

"You, that's the problem!" Potter spat at him

"Is that so. How do you figure that one out then?"

"Because of you we've got detention every Saturday until the end of term! With Filch!" Black yelled furiously

"Good! It's the least you deserve!" Lily yelled, trying to get herself from behind Severus

"How exactly did you come to that conclusion, Black? _I_ gave you the detentions, did I? I didn't realise I had so much _authority_ " Severus smirked. He wasn't going to shout, he didn't need to. Though he could feel Lily's fury from behind him

"You know what I mean" Black growled

"Ah yes. You wanted me to be at a particular place, at a particular time. And I wasn't. Exactly what did I do wrong?" he posed innocently, folding his arms. The two Marauders said nothing, only glared furiously as Severus eyed them calmly. It was almost amusing. "So, you two were punished for being somewhere you shouldn't have been. I fail to see how this is my fault, or my problem" Severus continued

"Three of us, Wormtail was there too. Why exactly did Dumbledore know we were out there?" Potter asked

"I guess that's something you need to discuss with the Headmaster, isn't it?"

"You two have got some nerve, you know!" Lily said, finally moving to stand next to Severus "You try and set up a prank and end up getting caught yourself. Well that's your twos stupid fault then, isn't it? No good blaming Severus for your lack of brains" she told them. Severus grinned, proud to have this fiery woman fighting by his side. Standing up to the Marauders. For him.

"Well, now I can't go to Hogsmeade. I was looking forward to that" Potter said miserably

"Not my problem, Potter" Severus stated simply

"I was going to ask you to join me, Evans" he said, turning his attention to Lily, lowering his wand slightly

"If it's any consolation, I would have said _no_ , Potter" she informed him coolly, the corner of Severus' mouth still turned up in a small smile "Besides, I've had a better offer already" she added. Severus fully smirked at the expression on Potter's face

"Better offer? Like who?" he asked. Lily didn't answer, just took hold of Severus' hand firmly, broad smile on her face "You are joking. Aren't you?" Neither Lily or Severus answered, only met Potter's eyes as he flicked his attention between the two. Whispers breaking out through the classroom, no one sure what to make of the scene unfolding - Potter and Black still with their wands drawn, pointed at the Gryffindor girl and Slytherin boy holding hands proudly. Happily.

"What is going on this morning?" came the voice of Professor Flitwick, breaking the attention of the four in the doorway "Mr Black, Mr Potter, what in Merlin's name are you doing with your wands drawn at your classmates? This is a Charms class, not duelling club! Back to your seats before I need to remove more points from yourselves. I should think after last night, you would be a little better behaved!" he huffed in annoyance.

"This isn't over, Snape" Black growled before heading back to his seat. Potter said nothing, merely followed his fellow Marauder to take his own seat.

Severus and Lily made their way to the last free seats, taking out the necessary items for the session

"Sorry about that" Lily whispered softly

"About what?" he asked, confusion

"It made it sound like we were going on a date" she whispered, blushing as she spoke

"Oh. I'm not sorry" he replied

"So, _are_ we going on a date then?" she asked after a moment

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow, won't we" he replied carefully. He glanced at her out the corner of his eye. She was smiling at him. That was a good sign. They were going on a date. And she was happy about it. Severus nodded and grinned. Yes, things were definitely getting better.

...

"So, what do you want to do in Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Lily asked as they sat below the willow tree. Since Wednesday night she'd wanted to ask if he'd meant their Hogsmeade trip together to be a date. Now it seemed, it definitely was. And she was nervous. Excited, but nervous.

"Oh I'm sure we'll think of something" he smiled. It was good to see him smiling, and after altering the outcome of another of his dreams, he seemed happier than he'd been in months. Maybe even years. A look in his eyes that reminded her of the boy she'd met in the park years ago. Before Hogwarts.

"Come on, give me some clues" she pleaded with a grin

"Well there's always Madam Puddifoots" he smirked. Lily snorted in amusement

"Yeah right" she rolled her eyes. He was obviously joking about that one

"We could take a look in the bookshop, see if they have anything interesting" he began "Perhaps Scrivenshafts, or we could pick up potion supplies, Honeydukes. Maybe lunch at the Three Broomsticks"

"Sounds good to me, Sev" she smiled. Yes that sounded like a better day. It sounded like the kind of day they'd spend together, regardless of whether it was a date or not

"Maybe I'll hold your hand in front of everyone" he said softly

"Just maybe?" she teased with a grin

"Ok. Definitely" he conceded with a nod

"Oh good. Otherwise I'll just have to hold your hand" she told him as she reached for him, linking their fingers together comfortably

Yes, things had definitely changed between them. Holding hands, light touches, warm hugs. They definitely felt like more than friends, only neither of them seemed to be able to say it. Maybe he was as worried about saying something as she was. But there was definitely something indefinable hanging in the air, especially when their eyes met. Something that drove all other thoughts away. All worries fading into the background.

Well, not much longer to wait. Tomorrow they would have their first _official_ date. Holding hands, flirting, smiling. Would all be allowed. A normal part of the day. And just maybe, she would find out what it would be like to kiss him.

...

Severus headed back to the dungeons after another long day. A full day of lessons, followed by time alone with Lily beneath their favourite tree. Discussions on something other than his nightmares for once. And it was wonderful.

They seemed to have confirmed, in a roundabout sort of way, that tomorrow, they would be going on a date. And she seemed as happy about that as he did. Both relaxed and excited as they planned their day together. It sounded perfect. And what made it even better, was Potter, Black and Pettigrew would not be there. He wouldn't be looking over his shoulder for them, waiting for the torment to start. No waiting for Potter to attempt his ridiculous flirting with Lily. _Bliss._

He had, once again, had a night free from any kind of dream. Once again, he'd altered the outcome of one, their reality ending up different to the vision he'd seen in his head. He was sure the other dreams would return, just like the previous week. But, for now he was content to catch up on what trouble free sleep he could, when it came along.

Plus, he still had to have a more in-depth conversation on Sunday with Dumbledore. He had no idea what to expect from that meeting, no idea how that conversation would unfold. He suspected Dumbledore knew something, and hoped the Headmaster would be more open to sharing with him next time. And he still hadn't decided whether he would go alone, or ask Lily to come. His instinct was to take her with him, even if she remained silent, just having her nearby had a calming effect on him. But from what Dumbledore had said, he felt the Headmaster would be more likely to share his thoughts if Severus came alone.

He would think about that Sunday. For tonight, he only wanted to think about spending tomorrow in Hogsmeade. With Lily. And getting what sleep he could before the nightmares returned.

"Oi, Snape!" Mulciber growled, just as he was getting to the dorm

"What do you want, Mulciber?" he snapped back

"Quite a show you've been putting on with _her._ Don't you think?" he asked looking disgusted

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about" he sighed

"Charms, this morning. Trying to defend your little _pet_ like that. Pathetic" he practically spat. Severus ground his teeth together, trying to push down the feelings of anger bubbling up. "And all that touching, smiling. You two lovebirds heading off to Hogsmeade together tomorrow?" he asked. _This could be dangerous._

"What of it?" he asked

"We told you. _I_ told you what would happen if you didn't leave the Mudblood alone." he whispered dangerously. Severus snapped, pulling his wand quickly and shoving it against Mulciber's throat

"I told you to leave her alone" Severus ground out through gritted teeth

"I guess you are stupider than you look, Snape. There is only one of you, and there are _lots_ of us." his eyes flashed as he spoke "You will regret choosing the _Mudblood's_ side. The _losing_ side"

Severus lowered his wand, stashing it back in his robes as Mulciber mustered his best sneer before walking away. Back to the rest of his goons. He would talk about this with Lily, and Dumbledore if he really needed to.

Although Severus wouldn't be looking over his shoulder for the Marauders tomorrow, he would be constantly on the lookout for Mulciber and the other Slytherins. And they were the more dangerous group. They would be targeting Lily, rather than him, as a way of attempting to control him.

But Mulciber was wrong about something. Severus would never regret choosing Lily's side. Win or lose, he would stand with her.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Lily waited at the main doors for Severus. Nervous and excited, pacing back and forth, trying to calm down before he arrived. She kept telling herself she had no reason to be nervous, she was alone with him most days, held his hand most days. Today wasn't _that_ different. Only it was. Today had a label. A date.

"Hi, Lily" Mary greeted. Mary, Alice and three other girls were already on their way out, to make the walk down to Hogsmeade

"Hi" Lily replied brightly

"Are you coming down to Hogsmeade with us?" Alice asked. Lily hadn't confirmed any plans with the girls, and they had assumed that her and Severus had been putting on a display yesterday, purely to annoy Potter.

"No, I'm waiting for Severus" she told them

"Really?" Mary asked

"Yes, really"

"Like a date?" Alice asked with a raised eyebrow. It was little more than a week ago that she'd denied any sort of romantic attraction between herself and Severus. Of course, she'd been lying to them at the time. And the girls seemed, well, amused. They questioned her with raised eyebrows, sly smirks, and silly giggles. And she hated it. Lily tried to answer with as little information as possible, tried to keep any trace of emotion from her face. But the blush that kept creeping over her cheeks gave her away every time. And she hated herself for that.

"Yes, like a date" she finally answered

"Do you want us to wait with you for him?" Mary asked. _God no!_ What would Severus think to see a whole group of girls waiting for him?

"No thanks. You all go on ahead" she answered, hoping they would take the hint

"Alright then, maybe we'll see you down there later" Alice said. Lily nodded, and thankfully the group headed out the main doors, leaving her to wait.

A minute later, a tap on her shoulder grabbed her attention. Lily spun around quickly to find Severus standing there, an amused expression on his face.

"Good morning, Lily" he greeted warmly

"Good morning, Sev" she smiled "Did you sleep well?"

"Actually, I did" he replied. Maybe that was why he seemed in such a good mood

"Good. You just missed Mary and the girls"

"I know" he grinned

"You were watching? Why didn't you come over?" Severus' eyebrows disappeared up his forehead. _Silly question._ "Alright, fair enough" she said rolling her eyes

"You know me too well" he laughed

"What! You're such a _people_ person" she joked

"Absolutely" he smirked "Now, how about we get this show on the road. Hogsmeade is waiting"

"Sounds good to me" she smiled. Severus nodded and reached for her hand, leading her out the doors to make their way down the hill to the main gates.

The two of them walked in silence out the gates, hands clasped tightly together, fingers woven carefully, smiles on their faces. In their own world as other students passed them by, some sparing them glances, some ignoring them as they were lost in their own conversations. And it felt wonderful.

"So, where to first, Sev?" she finally asked as they approached the village

"How about the bookshop?" he suggested. Should have known.

"'Tomes and Scrolls' here we come" she nodded, and the two made their way quickly over. Not many Hogwarts students were in the bookshop, most of them were in Honeydukes, or Zonko's checking out the jokes, seeing if there was anything new in that they could sneak passed Filch.

Lily and Severus wandered up and down the aisles, pulling down random books that looked or sounded interesting. Every so often they would stop and compare their findings, just like they used to do when they visited Hogsmeade together in previous years; enjoying the peace and quiet of their surroundings, losing themselves in the books.

After they'd exhausted the books on the ground floor, they headed upstairs. The books upstairs were a rather more obscure collection. Some were dark, some were light, and some that just didn't seem to _fit_ in any of the sections downstairs.

Lily ran her fingers along the row, scanning the titles, unsure what she would find, unsure what she was looking for, when a small, slim book caught her attention. Frowning, she withdrew it from the shelf, reading the title _'Tortam tempore - twists of time'_. Curious. She glanced through the book quickly, looking at the chapter titles - _time travel, time loops, time twists..._ She didn't want to get her hopes up. Maybe the book was purely theoretical, discussions about time travel and whether it was possible. Maybe it would give them a clue to Severus' dreams.

"Sev" she called to him softly "Look at this." Severus placed the book he held back on the shelf and joined her to look at the small book

"Time travel?" he questioned "I don't think I've been time travelling, Lily"

"I didn't say you had been, but there's something strange going on. This discusses different _kinds_ of time travel. Maybe it will give us some clues, or at least a starting point to work with, with Dumbledore" she explained quietly. Severus flicked through the book, before meeting her eyes with a smile

"That, is a brilliant idea" he agreed

"Let's see if there's anything else" she said as they both turned their attention to the small section the book had come from

"Hmm, _The Circle of Time_ , interesting" she heard Severus say to her

"Circle?"

"Yes, this one is a theory, time is circular, rather than linear"

"Meaning we could see the future?"

"Theoretically. It says that humans aren't capable of perceiving time as anything other than a straight line, so we ignore it when we see a future event"

"Like déjà vu?"

"Yes, on a small, short term scale"

"So, what about Seers? Does that mean they're real?"

"I suppose some must be. But Seers just view themselves as messengers. They want to pass on what lies ahead"

"But, then that would mean we can't change the future. Wouldn't it?"

"Yes, but we've already proven that wrong. We've already changed two visions already"

"I think the books are probably good starting points, and there's nothing like these in the library back at Hogwarts"

"Good point. Let's get these and go and get some lunch" he suggested. Lily nodded and took his hand, letting him lead her back down the stairs. Maybe between these books and Dumbledore, Severus would finally start getting some answers.

...

It was already getting crowded in the Three Broomsticks by the time Severus and Lily had made their way over. They had spent two hours wandering through the bookshop. Two hours that had been most productive, thanks to Lily. A small book about Time and its various intricacies. A small book which would hopefully prove itself useful when he brought it up with Dumbledore tomorrow.

For now, he was sat with Lily, crammed at a small table in the corner, with her sat close by his side rather than opposite him. Lunch had been quickly eaten, now all that was left was to finish their butterbeers.

Today had, so far, been good. Another trouble free night had put him in a rather upbeat mood, her bright smile greeting him in entrance this morning had only added to that. He grinned inwardly at the turn of events. Only two weeks ago he could never have guessed how this Hogsmeade trip would go. But then again, two weeks ago he never would have expected a few nightmares to turn his life upside down. He supposed this was one of the positive changes that had occurred.

With a contented sigh, he slipped his arm around Lily's shoulder, feeling emboldened by his own thoughts. Lily glanced up at him, smiling warmly before leaning her head back against his shoulder. Yes, today was definitely a good day.

"So, do you think those books will help?" Lily asked him quietly

"I don't know, but I think it's the best clue we've got so far"

"Maybe Dumbledore will know more"

"I hope so. I guess I'll find out tomorrow"

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked, looking up at him again

"I think I should try and go alone. I just get the feeling that Dumbledore wants it that way. Though I can't deny, I'd feel happier if you were with me" he admitted. Lily gave him a small smile "But I can tell you all about it afterwards" he added as she made herself comfortable against him again.

Severus leaned his cheek against her head, letting the scent of her hair tickle his nose. He wanted nothing more than to stroke her hair aside, place a kiss gently on her cheek, see what her reaction would be. But his confidence wouldn't let him, especially in a pub full of their fellow students. He felt himself brave for sitting with his arm around her, Lily snuggled close against him. For now, he was content, running his fingers lightly over her arm as they finished their drinks.

"Where next, Sev?" she asked as they made their way outside again

"I don't know, do you need to restock any of your potion supplies?" Severus asked

"I don't think so. Do you want to have a browse around Pippins anyway?"

"I've got a better idea" he grinned

"A better idea than hanging your nose over potions supplies?" she asked, looking amused "And what might that be?"

"I say we head over to Honeydukes and get some sweets, then we take a walk" he suggested as he slipped his arm around her shoulder again.

"I'm not going to say no to chocolate" she laughed. Relief flooding through him as he felt her arm wrap around his waist.

Honeydukes was as busy as ever, pretty much all the students found themselves in there at least once during a Hogsmeade visit. Drawn in by the baffling extent of chocolates and sweets. It wasn't unusual for students to eat their purchases during the trip, and have to return for more before heading back to the Castle. Severus had no intention of making multiple visits, and just hoped they could make this visit quick so they could get back outside into the fresh air. It was such a beautiful day, it didn't feel right being cooped up in various shops, browsing for the sake of it. He would rather be walking with Lily, somewhere quiet, where they could talk, relax.

Besides, if they were outside, they weren't in close proximity to their class mates. Although the Marauders were not an issue today - three of them being stuck in detention for their night time wanderings, and Lupin recovering in the Hospital Wing, Lily's dorm mates would be around somewhere. And he didn't know what they thought of him, he suspected they didn't trust him. Though, when he had seen them with Lily earlier, they hadn't looked upset, or disgusted, by the fact that Lily was going on a date with him. If anything, they had looked, amused. Like they had known this would happen sooner or later. And they would probably be on the lookout for them, to see if there was any gossip to catch up on. Or to spread. Or to report back to Potter.

Not that he cared what Potter thought of him. The worst that would happen there is they would have another reason to torment him. He could handle that.

Now, _his_ dorm mates were another story entirely. They would also be lurking in Hogsmeade somewhere, though he'd seen no sign of them so far - but then they weren't likely to be browsing for books, or drinking in the Three Broomsticks. No, they'd be in the Hogs Head. Hopefully, they could be left in peace for the day, to enjoy the sunshine. To enjoy each other's company.

Lily paid for her assortments of treats, smiling as Severus held the door open for her, taking her hand again once they were outside, leading her away from the main road through a small wooded area.

"This is beautiful" Lily exclaimed as the trees thinned out, overlooking wide, rolling fields and hills, stunning shades of green speckled with splashes of colour where wildflowers grew, contrasted against the clear, blue sky.

"Very beautiful" he replied, keeping his eyes firmly on her, not that she knew that.

The two of them sat with their backs against a large tree, as they often did back at Hogwarts, taking in the view. The only sound they could hear was the singing from various birds. He could almost forget his nightmares sitting like this. How could his life possibly go wrong when he could feel so content? So peaceful.

Lily opened one of the bags of chocolates, popping one of the little chocolate balls in her mouth, before feeding one to him too. Sighing contentedly, he draped his arm around her again, fingers trailing gently on her upper arm, definitely feeling more at ease as the day went on. Lily leaned against him, keeping herself close as they continued to share the chocolates in comfortable silence. Severus let his eyes close as he revelled in the experience.

A soft giggle from Lily, drew his attention, forcing Severus to look at her. She'd turned herself slightly to face him, and looked amused

"What?" he asked, worried about what she could possible find funny

"Chocolate" she giggled, reaching with her thumb to gently brush the chocolate smudge from his lip

"You had me worried there for a minute" he laughed, looking away.

When he looked back, neither of them were laughing, she was searching his face for...something. Their faces were so close sat like this, he didn't think he'd ever looked at her face so closely before, bright green eyes staring at him so earnestly, pale skin, freckles. Lips.

Before he could help himself he was leaning in, brushing his lips against hers gently, just for a second. Unsure what her reaction would be as he pulled away.

"I wondered when you were going to do that" she smiled. _Oh really?_ he thought, raising an eyebrow. He could feel himself blushing as she rested her hand on his chest, could feel his heart racing. Without thinking, he moved his free hand to her face, thumb brushing her cheek gently as he leaned in to kiss her again, a little more certain this time that his attentions were welcome.

Thoughts of everything else left him as he felt her kissing him in return, her soft lips moving against his. Nothing mattered any more. Nothing except her. Nothing except this moment.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Good morning, Severus" Dumbledore greeted him warmly "I trust you enjoyed your visit to Hogsmeade?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um, yes Sir" Severus answered awkwardly, not really wanting to talk about the wonderful day he'd spent with Lily. Still hardly able to believe that the he'd spent with her had been _real_.

"I am pleased you have come alone today, Severus. I believe it to be for your benefit, I understand some of your nightmares have involved Miss Evans? You may feel more at ease divulging certain details without her here" he explained. Severus nodded, unsure how much Dumbledore knew, he felt certain he knew more than Lily and himself had told him during their brief discussions.

"Only one of the nightmares involved her, Sir. But I don't really want her to know all of it. I still don't understand all of it. Actually, I don't think I understand any of what's going on if I'm honest" he admitted.

"There is obviously _something_. Your dreams have been very specific events. Some of which you have altered the outcome - such as the attack on Mary MacDonald, and Mr Black's attempt to lure you to the Shrieking Shack during the full moon. Some are yet to be - like choosing to enter Lord Voldemort's ranks as one of his Death Eater's"

"It won't happen" Severus snapped

"I am sure it won't, Severus" Dumbledore replied calmly. Severus took a deep breath "Miss Evans told me that Dreamless Sleep potion does not stop your dreams, is that correct?"

"Yes, Sir. Nothing I do seems to effect whether I have them or not. I either do or I don't, regardless of anything else"

"I think we can safely say that something, or _someone_ , is causing these dreams"

"Like what?" Severus asked "Or who?"

"Do you have any theories yourself, Severus?" Severus placed the two books on Dumbledore's desk, the two he and Lily had found the previous day in Hogsmeade.

"Lily found this one, it certainly has some interesting theories, about different types of time travel. But I don't think it entirely fits with what I'm experiencing" Dumbledore picked up the first small book Severus indicated, turning it over in his hands without saying a word. "This one seems closer to what I'm experiencing" he said, indicating the second book "But again, it doesn't entirely fit. This theory would seem to lean more towards a possible reason for the existence of Seers - they can deliver a message or a warning about what will come, but not change it. It seems like every time I'm getting closer to an answer, it's like there's a piece of the puzzle missing" he said frowning, slumping back in his chair.

"Interesting. Excellent theories indeed. But I do think there is something different going on. I believe to do with memories"

"Memories? Of things that haven't happened?" he asked suspiciously

"I do have a hypothesis, Severus. I would like to try something with you, if I may. It just might get us a step closer to the answer" Dumbledore told him calmly. Severus didn't even have to think about it, whatever Dumbledore suggested, he would do it. He needed an answer

"What do you need to do, Sir?" he asked

"Are you familiar with the Pensieve?" the Headmaster asked, as he stood behind his desk

"I have heard of them, Sir. I've never used one though" Severus' eyes followed Dumbledore as he made his way over to an elaborate cabinet

"The Pensieve is an ideal tool for reviewing memories, Severus. I would like to see if we can view one of your nightmares in here"

"I thought you couldn't view dreams in a Pensieve, Sir. Only memories" he quizzed, standing to move to his Headmaster's side. Dumbledore nodded

"Indeed, you are correct. If I am able to view one of your dreams in here, that would tell us that we are seeing memories, not dreams"

"Memories from the future?" he questioned

"Yes. Though how you are in possession of memories from the future, is a discovery to be made another day" he explained gently. Severus nodded as he tried to process the information. Dumbledore opened the cabinet, revealing the ornate, shimmering Pensieve.

"How do I show you, Sir?" Severus asked, suddenly nervous

"Concentrate, very carefully on what you would like to show me. I will remove the memory as it comes, and place it in the Pensieve. That is all" Severus took a deep breath, trying to decide which of his nightmares would be the best one to share. Mind made up, he turned his attention back to the Headmaster.

"Ok, I'm ready" he nodded, concentrating on the first nightmare that had disturbed his sleep - his death. Severus closed his eyes as he tried to keep his breathing even, as he felt Dumbledore's wand touching his temple

"It is done, Severus" Dumbledore informed him, Severus opened his eyes to see Dumbledore casually flicking his wand over the Pensieve, to place the silvery strand inside "Shall we see if we can view it?"

"You can go without me, Sir" he whispered. He had seen the scene play out in his head several times in his sleep over the last fortnight, and had no desire to immerse himself in it while awake. Dumbledore nodded and peered inside curiously.

Severus wandered back to his chair, waiting for Dumbledore to return, to let him know if he had produced a memory of his death. A few minutes later, the Headmaster made his way back to the desk, his expression a mixture of intrigue and sadness.

"Is there a particular reason you chose to show me your death, Severus?" he asked sadly

"It just seemed the most logical, Sir" he shrugged

"Well, we can now say you are indeed viewing memories. These are not ordinary dreams"

"What do we do next, Sir?" Severus asked

"I believe Occlumency would be a good start"

"Occlumency?" he frowned

"You have read about Occlumency, I'm sure" Severus nodded to confirm he had "If these memories are being sent to you from... _somewhere_ , Occlumency may just help to prevent them reaching you" Dumbledore explained. Severus sat quietly in thought. Was it wise to stop the memories reaching him? Probably, given that he had no idea who was sending them to him, or where from. Until they had more information, preventing them was the safest option. Dumbledore handed him a slip of paper "This book is in the restricted section of the library, this should be sufficient for Madam Pince" he smiled.

Severus looked at the slip of paper _'The Art of Mind Magics'_ and nodded.

"Get the book, read whatever you can this week. We shall begin lessons next Sunday"

" _You_ wish to teach me Occlumency, Sir?"

"Yes, Severus. I believe that can only be a good thing. Time is a very complex thing, as are memories. And the mind. _Your_ mind needs protecting, and I believe the two of us working together will get you the answers you need"

Severus nodded, it was the most logical suggestion. But the thought of Dumbledore working with his memories, viewing his memories, entering his mind, was a scary one. But there were no other alternatives for the time being.

"Yes, Sir. Thank you" he finally nodded. Decision made.

"Very good" Dumbledore nodded "In that case, I shall see you here next Sunday morning so we can begin our instruction, unless you need to see me before" he finished with a smile. Severus nodded as he rose from his chair, grabbing his books and making his way to the door "Good day, Severus"

"Good day, Sir" he replied before heading back down the stair case.

The morning had been mentally tiring, so many thoughts whirling around, dreams, nightmares, visions. Well, he now knew they were memories, one step closer to figuring out exactly what was happening. And potentially one step closer to stopping the nightmares altogether.

...

Lily sat in the Great Hall with Mary and Alice at the Gryffindor table, waiting for Severus. She was keen to hear about his meeting with Dumbledore, eager to discover their progress. Could Dumbledore help Severus? _Would_ Dumbledore help Severus? Or perhaps, more importantly, would Severus accept help from someone else?

"So, you've been awfully quiet today" Mary stated, interrupting her thoughts

"Do you think so?" she asked nonchalantly

"You've not said much about yesterday" Mary said "everything ok?"

"Oh. Yes, everything's fine" Lily answered

"Fine?" Alice queried "You're not going to tell us more?" she grinned

"I didn't think it was something you'd want to hear about"

"Of course we want to hear about it" Mary said eagerly. Desperate for gossip, no doubt

"We saw you looking cosy in the Three Broomsticks" Alice grinned, raising an eyebrow "But we didn't see you apart from that"

"Well, we spent some time in the bookshop, we bought some chocolate, and went for a walk" she told them

"Anything else?" Alice asked

"Like what?" Lily asked innocently. She knew what they wanted to hear about, only she didn't know how much she wanted to share

"Did he kiss you?" Mary asked with wide eyes. Lily blushed, but didn't answer

"I guess that's a _yes_ then" Alice laughed "So how was it?" she asked curiously

"What?" Lily asked, shocked "It was..." she floundered

"Good? Bad? Come on!" Alice pleaded

"Perfect" she finally answered. Well, it had been perfect. Perfect day, perfect company, perfect kiss. Mary and Alice were silent, whatever they had been expecting her to say, that obviously wasn't it.

"Wow" Mary whispered "So, if yesterday was so perfect, why aren't you with him now?"

"He has a meeting this morning. He should be meeting me soon" she answered quietly

"A meeting? On a Sunday, with who?" Alice asked

"That's not really my place to say." She could have told them she supposed, but again, she didn't know how much Severus would want people to know, and Dumbledore had seemed to think it important that no one find out about his nightmares. If people found out he was suddenly meeting the Headmaster on a regular basis it would look more than a little suspicious.

"Oh, here he comes now" Alice said, turning her attention to the doorway. Lily looked up to see Severus quickly walking in, she smiled brightly as he approached the table

"Hi, Sev" she greeted

"Hello, Lily. Are you ready to go?" he asked quietly

"Yes, I'm ready" she answered, ignoring Mary and Alice who seemed to be snickering to themselves quietly. Lily stood to leave, accepting the hand Severus offered to her

"Bye, you two" the girls called as they walked away from the table. Lily waved and rolled her eyes as they left the Hall, making their way to the library

"So, how did it go this morning?"Lily asked as they walked

"It was, interesting. But tiring" he admitted quietly "I'll tell you about it in the library" he assured her. Lily nodded, obviously wandering through the corridors was not the time or place for a discussion.

Soon enough they were in the library, heading to their usual table. Fortunately the library was empty, apart from Madam Pince, and they would be able to see if anyone else came in. Severus uttered a quiet _Muffliato_ before talking

"Dumbledore is convinced I'm seeing memories" he told her

"Memories? How? Why?" she asked, confused

"He was able to view one of my nightmares in his Pensieve. He would only be able to do that if it was a memory" he sighed. Lily nodded, still confused

"But, how? How can you have memories of something that hasn't happened?" she asked

"He thinks someone is sending them to me. But he doesn't know who. Or why. Or where from. Or _when_ from"

"Hmm" she frowned "So, what's the next step?" she asked. Surely there must be some plan, some way to figure out the answers to this growing list of questions

"Occlumency" he stated simply

"Occlumency?"

"He wants to teach me himself. He thinks it's the best way for me to protect myself. So I won't get these 'memories' coming through to me"

"Wow, that's, well it's difficult isn't it?"

"Apparently. I've read a little about it. I'm not sure what to think. He's going to be poking around in my head" he said, sounding nervous

"I'm sure he won't _poke around_ , Sev" she said gently, touching his arm. Severus sighed

"I hope not. He wants me to get this book" he said as he shoved the slip of paper to her. Lily read it carefully

"Mind Magic?" she asked

"Mmm. I'm still not sure what to make of it though. I mean, some of these dreams have been useful"

"Yes, but you can't keep having nightmares like that, Sev. You'll drive yourself crazy. From lack of sleep if nothing else" she said gently

"I know" he sighed "You're right. Anyway, I'm going to be meeting with Dumbledore weekly, hopefully I'll get some answers"

"You will, Sev. It will be ok" she tried to reassure him. Severus met her eyes then, and gave her a small smile and a nod. Yes, it would be ok. Severus would find the answers, with Dumbledore's help, and hers. She would make sure of that.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Severus slumped down in his usual chair opposite Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office. This was the third time they had met in an attempt to understand Severus' nightmares. The third Sunday morning Severus had spent attempting to keep Dumbledore from accessing his thoughts. His memories. And it was exhausting.

"You are doing well, Severus" Dumbledore informed him calmly. Severus shook his head. He didn't think he was. He hated that he hadn't been able to keep him out. That Dumbledore was able to find his way in and view things he'd rather were kept hidden.

Severus did as he was instructed every night, attempting to empty himself of emotion. And he had made some progress with that. He'd spent most of his life burying much of his emotional side, particularly at home. He had learned early in life to hide feelings from his father, to be silent, act like a shadow, and avoid the temper he would often display. Though that wasn't always enough to avoid a beating. And Dumbledore had seen this in his mind. Severus had never wanted anyone to know about his home life. Not even Lily knew the extent of what happened behind closed doors.

Dumbledore had looked at him with sadness after he had witnessed his drunken father, lashing out at both Severus and his mother. Pity. The last thing Severus wanted was pity. That meant he was weak. A victim.

Dumbledore had also seen bits of his time at Hogwarts, the troubles he had with Potter and Black. And more importantly, the trouble he had with his dorm mates. They were being as unpleasant as ever, taking every opportunity to remind him how disgusting he was, what he was doing. They had thrown a few hexes his way, but nothing major, and so far he'd managed to keep a cool head, avoiding retaliation and keeping the situation from escalating. But he feared it wouldn't take much for the whole thing to explode. But they had left Lily alone so far, which helped. He knew if he retaliated they would go after her.

Although the sessions with Dumbledore were mentally exhausting and frustrating, Severus was beginning to feel as though the Headmaster trusted him. That he did have his best interests at heart. And _he_ was starting to trust Dumbledore, which was quite an alien concept to Severus. So far in life, he'd felt certain the only person he could completely trust, was Lily.

Severus had shared the other nightmares he'd had, with Dumbledore. The memories had been viewed in the Pensieve and discussions had. And since beginning Occlumency together, Severus hadn't had any new nightmares. No new 'memories' had been sent to him. Though he didn't know if that was down to the Occlumency, or purely a coincidence. He still felt certain it was only a matter of time before he saw something else. But he figured that Occlumency would be a useful skill to have either way, should he actually be able to master it.

"Again, Severus?" Dumbledore queried. Severus took a deep breath, meeting his Headmaster's eyes with a nod. He was ready. "Legilimens" Dumbledore muttered softly, maintaining the eye contact. Severus' breathing became heavier as he fought to maintain control, he could feel Dumbledore pushing against the barriers he was starting to put in place. Before Severus could react further, Dumbledore had broken through the barrier, pulling forward a chain of memories - _Mulciber threatening him, warning him Lily would be next, walking hand in hand with Lily, Lily smiling at him in the library, holding her close beneath the willow tree, leaning in to kiss her..._

Severus panicked, barriers coming back into place. Severus broke eye contact, looking at the floor before rubbing his face with both hands, trying to run the sensation away.

"Much better, Severus" Dumbledore told him "It took me longer to get through your barrier, and you were able to get your defences back in place" Severus continued to stare at the floor, embarrassed at what the Headmaster had seen. He hadn't wanted to let him see Lily in there, that was private. And although he was more than happy to now have Lily as his girlfriend, he didn't want that on show for all to see. He was quite content to hold her hand, or slip his arm around her when they were in public, anything else was kept for when they were alone. Usually beneath their favourite tree.

"I think we should leave it there for today" Dumbledore stated "I'm sure you are tired after that. You have made good progress" he told him

"I'm not sure I have, Sir" Severus said quietly, tentatively meeting the Headmaster's eyes.

"You have, Severus. I would have been more than a little surprised if you had been able to keep me out entirely after just three sessions"

"I suppose" Severus muttered.

"Whatever I happen to witness during these sessions, will not leave this room, Severus" Dumbledore assured. Severus sighed, face flushing at the reminder "Do you wish to continue next week?"

"Yes, of course" Severus answered, confused

"You are sure? With OWL's beginning this week, I would understand if you wanted to stop for the time being"

"No. I'd like to continue if that's alright, Sir. I just wish we knew what was going on. I don't think it's over yet" Severus said softly. Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, looking Severus over carefully

"It may not be over. But either way, we may never get a definite answer as to why you have these memories. If the Occlumency is stopping more memories from getting through to you, it will be difficult, maybe even impossible, to determine the cause"

"I know. I'd rather not have them though. None have them have exactly been _pleasant_."

"No. Having viewed them myself I can understand why you would find them so disturbing. Were you planning on becoming a Death Eater, Severus? Before the nightmares started that is" Dumbledore asked casually. Severus frowned at the change in topic

"Not really. I think I was getting swept along with the other Slytherins to an extent. But I didn't have definite plans to join them" he told him

"It would seem your dorm mates believed that you did"

"Mmmm. They wanted me to join with them. I think they still do" he admitted, nodding sadly "I don't want a life filled with death. That's all I would get from them, regardless of what empty promises they made - pain, misery, death and destruction" he added. Dumbledore nodded

"That's very wise, Severus" Dumbledore smiled

"I do think there is darkness in me somewhere though, Sir" he said quietly, afraid of admitting that

"There is darkness inside every one of us, Severus. Just because it is there, does not mean you are going to give in to it. Acknowledging its existence is a big step. You are strong enough to make the right choices" Dumbledore said gently. Severus hoped he was right, that he would be strong enough to make the right choices, to stay in the light. And never give in to the darkness.

...

"I still don't think this is a good idea, Albus" Severus said with a sigh, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against the railings.

"Nonsense, Severus" the older Dumbledore assured him.

"I don't see how this is going to do anything good" he said exasperatedly

"It will. Your life _will_ be better this way. You of all people should have the chance to experience life properly" he told him quietly

"It's not supposed to work this way. You're not supposed to be able to do this at all!" the adult Severus snapped, finding it more and more difficult to control his frustrations.

"No. But it is. We should make the most of it while we have this connection, Severus" Dumbledore tried to reason. Severus scowled.

"If you're so intent on doing this, why not just send memories to yourself?" he asked, that would be the most logical choice. "Why do you need me at all?"

"Oh, I think you're the best one to handle this" he explained with a smile and a maddening twinkle in his eye. "You can stop the war before it even has a chance to begin"

"Ah, for the _Greater Good_ then, is it?" Severus asked suspiciously "So why not use your own memories then? You know an awful lot more about bringing down the Dark Lord than I do. You didn't share anything with me about the Horcruxes until we were both dead!" he spat, annoyed with his old Headmaster

"Severus, you have enough in your own memories to work it out" he smiled

"I doubt that"

"I'm sure you'll work it out. I also believe that your younger self would turn to me when faced with such a predicament"

"Are you sure about that, Albus?" Severus asked, rolling his eyes "I wasn't exactly trusting of you during my time as a student at Hogwarts. Nor you of me" he added

"That is true. And I am sorry about that, Severus. There are many things that should have been different" Dumbledore told him sadly. "I do genuinely believe that we can keep you out of the darkness this way. If I sent my own memories back to myself, that wouldn't help you" he finished gently. Severus sighed again. It really was all so complicated. "We can do this, Severus" he told him confidently.

Severus really wanted to believe, wanted nothing more than to have a normal life. A life where he was free to make his own choices, where he didn't have to play the spy, be the dutiful servant. Where he didn't have to witness, or be the cause of so many deaths. But, would he be able to obtain that by sending his younger self a few of his memories? Would his younger self understand the dreams for what they were? Or would he brush them off, and keep on following the dark path just as he had done?

"So if this works?" Severus asked quietly

"Then you will work with me to bring down Lord Voldemort completely" Dumbledore told him

"I won't be a Death Eater?"

"I doubt that you would become a Death Eater again, Severus"

"And Lily would be safe?" he whispered hesitantly. He would do almost anything to make sure she wasn't murdered by the Dark Lord at such a young age, regardless of whether she would be with Potter

"Safer, I imagine, if you were forewarned" Severus nodded slowly, still thinking

"What if I can't figure it out?"

"You shouldn't under estimate yourself, Severus. You were extremely intelligent at school, and as an adult, I might add" Dumbledore said with a smile "You _can_ do this"

"What if I ignore these _memories?_ "

"Then I would imagine things would stay the same. History would repeat itself and events play out as we are aware of them" he told him gently.

Severus thought carefully. It sounded as if they had nothing to lose in attempting this. But they had to do it soon, they didn't know how long the connection would last.

"And when will the memories be sent back to?" Severus asked

"2nd of May, 1976. But I believe they will reach you in stages" he told him. Severus nodded. It was so tempting. That was before Lily had severed ties with him. Before the Shrieking Shack. Before he had committed himself to the Dark Lord.

"But _I'm_ not going back?" he asked, he didn't think he could stand the thought of being a student at Hogwarts again.

"No, just a few _select_ memories" Dumbledore confirmed. "You will continue to 'rest in peace' as it were"

"Do it" he finally said. Decision made.

Dumbledore nodded and moved to face him. He moved his hands carefully through the air around Severus' head, swirling his fingers and twisting his hands as silvery threads of memory broke free, winding their way out of him.

Concentration was written all over Albus' face as the shimmery strands broke off. Once they were clear of Severus, Albus stepped back, winding his hands until all the wisps of Severus' memories compacted down into a bright, glowing ball. Severus stared, fascinated by the ethereal beauty of his memories.

Dumbledore met Severus' eyes as he took a deep breath, keeping the ball of memories suspended in the air between his hands.

" _Memoria Somnia"_ Dumbledore whispered as he cast the shining ball of memories high into the air, the two men watching as it soared higher and higher, until that shimmering light vanished completely from their view.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

 _"Alright, Snivellus?" Severus heard Potter call out as he wandered across the grass. He spun quickly, dropping his bag as he reached for his wand. "Expelliarmus!" Potter cried out, Severus could only watch as his wand flew out of his hand and into the grass behind him._

 _"Impedimenta!" Black yelled as he joined Potter, knocking Severus off his feet as he attempted to retrieve his wand. Severus lay panting on the ground, trying to ignore the growing crowd that gathered as the Marauders made their way closer._

 _"How'd the exam go, Snivelly" Potter asked_

 _"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment" Black mocked "There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word" he laughed, as did several spectators._

 _"You-wait. You-wait" Severus panted, desperately fighting against the jinx that kept him on the floor_

 _"Wait for what? What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?" Black sneered._

 _Severus cursed angrily, a mix of swear words and hexes, but without his wand, nothing happened._

 _"Wash your mouth out. Scourgify!" Potter instructed, laughing as Severus started choking on the pink soap bubbles now frothing from his mouth._

 _"Leave him ALONE!" he heard Lily shout as she marched towards them_

 _"All right, Evans?" Potter asked, ruffling his hair_

 _"Leave him alone" she told him again, eyeing Potter furiously "What's he done to you?"_

 _"Well, it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean..." he shrugged. Once again, the majority of the crowd were laughing_

 _"You think you're funny, but you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone!" she yelled._

 _"I will if you go out with me, Evans. Go on... go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again" he grinned._

 _Severus felt the Impediment Jinx finally wearing off, and began to inch his way carefully to his wand, spitting out the last of the soapsuds._

 _"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid" Lily spat furiously_

 _"Bad luck, Prongs" Black said to Potter. "OI" he yelled, noticing Severus had moved. But Severus was quicker this time and directed his wand towards Potter, a flash of red light and a gash split Potter's cheek. Potter whirled around with another flash of light and Severus was hanging upside down. He felt his robes fall over his head, showing his greying underwear to the crowd._

 _Severus tried to ignore the numerous cheers and roars of laughter from his fellow students, but struggled to ignore the twitch of Lily's lips. How could she find this funny? She was supposed to be his friend._

 _"Let him down" Lily shouted, returning to her fury._

 _"Certainly" Potter smiled, releasing Severus to let him fall in a crumpled heap on the ground._

 _"Petrificus Totalus" Black yelled at him before he could aim his own wand, and he keeled over, rigid as a board._

 _"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily shouted again, her own wand ready this time._

 _"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you" Potter said_

 _"Take the curse off him then!" she instructed. Potter sighed and lifted the curse_

 _"There you go. You're lucky Evans was here Snivellus" Potter told him casually as Severus got to his feet._

 _"I don't need help filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Severus spat in his fury and humiliation. He watched, shocked, as Lily blinked before turning on him._

 _"Fine. I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus"_

 _..._

Lily waited in the corridor with Mary and Alice. The Professors were busy changing the Great Hall into an examination room, the four large House tables being exchanged for individual desks now that breakfast was over.

She bit her nails nervously, waiting to go in to sit the written exam for the History of Magic. She'd spent plenty of time revising with Severus, but was still convinced she'd struggle to achieve higher than an A. The subject wasn't the most thrilling at the best of times, the fact that their teacher was a ghost didn't particularly help.

Lily glance around, looking for Severus. She had expected him to be here before now. He hadn't been at breakfast and he was cutting it fine to get here in time for the exam. She almost thought about talking to the Headmaster, someone should know where he was. What would happen if he didn't make it in time for the exam?

"You ok, Lily?" Mary asked with a concerned look

"Mmm? Yes, I'm fine. Just thinking" she replied

"About the exam? Don't worry, it'll be fine" Alice said confidently. Lily didn't answer, probably better if that's what they thought.

"Yeah, don't worry, Evans, it'll be a piece of cake" Potter's cocky voice called out to her. Lily rolled her eyes and turned away "If you're worried later, you can come and study with me, I'll prep you for the next exam" he called cheerfully

"No thank you, Potter" she answered, trying to keep her voice neutral

"Leave it, Prongs. She'll probably be off studying with Snivellus" Black joined the conversation

"Speaking of Snivellus. Where is good old Snivelly this fine morning, Evans?" Potter asked

"How should I know?" Lily snapped

"Oh dear, have you two lovebirds had a falling out?" Potter grinned, obviously hoping they had

"No. No falling out" Lily sighed "I just haven't seen him today" she said quietly, looking back down the corridor again.

"Is _that_ what you're worried about?" Alice asked. Lily shot her an exasperated look

"Maybe the other Slytherins got sick of his greasiness and chucked him in the lake" Black laughed. Potter grinned at his friend.

"Just sod off, the pair of you" she told them, turning her back on the two boys.

Lily hung back as the doors opened, teachers finally letting them into the Hall. She sent her friends in ahead, continuing to search for Severus.

"Miss Evans, are you coming in?" Dumbledore asked with a smile. Lily turned to see the corridors were empty, she was the last one

"Sir, have you seen Severus this morning?" she asked, worried. Dumbledore frowned.

"No Miss Evans, I haven't"

"What if he's had another nightmare?" she asked "That's the only reason I can think of that would stop him coming" she whispered. Dumbledore nodded.

"I will search for him. Try not to worry yourself. Ah, Mr Snape, there you are" he smiled. Lily turned to find herself face to face with Severus. She let out a huge sigh of relief, which quickly turned to concern. Severus was keeping his distance, staring at the floor to the side of her.

"Sev, where have you been? What's wrong?" she asked. Severus shrugged and shook his head "Sev?" she frowned

"A nightmare, Severus?" Dumbledore asked softly. Severus met his eyes and nodded "I suggest you go in, sit your exam. We will talk when it is over"

Severus nodded, still not saying anything. He went to walk passed her. Lily grabbed his arm, confused by his actions.

"Sev, what is it?" she asked quietly. He met her eyes then, only then did she realised how hard he was fighting to keep his composure

"Lily, I'm so sorry" he whispered, his voice thick with emotion

"Sorry? For what?" she asked, trying not to panic

"I'll explain everything later, I promise" he told her. She didn't think she'd ever seen him look so sad, so broken. Severus walked by her then, into the Hall, leaving her confused, worried, and alone with the Headmaster.

"Go on, Miss Evans" he said gently "I'm sure we will get to the bottom of this later"

"Yes, Sir" she nodded, before making her way inside for the exam. Yes it was definitely going to be a struggle to get an A today.

...

Severus sat in his usual chair in the Headmaster's office, while the Headmaster viewed his latest _memory_ in the Pensieve. It had been a few weeks since the last time a new nightmare had disturbed him, though he'd seen repeats of the previous ones, they no longer disturbed him in quite the same way as before. He reacted to them now the same way he did any other nightmare.

The memory that came to him last night had been upsetting. Not the torment by Potter and Black, that wasn't surprising in the slightest. It was that word. _Mudblood_. He'd thrown in at Lily. He always swore he'd never even _think_ that word about her, he'd lost his temper with his dorm mates when they referred to her with that term. And when it came down to it, he would use that word against her too. Provoked enough, angry enough, embarrassed enough, and he would be no better than Mulciber.

How could Lily forgive that? Wasn't that just proving her earlier concerns right? He'd changed so much over the last month, since the nightmares started, become so much closer to Lily - she was his girlfriend now, as well as his best friend. Was that enough?

"It looks like this incident will take place soon, Severus" Dumbledore said as he made his way back to the desk, resuming his seat opposite. Severus nodded sadly, eyes on the floor. "During OWL's I would presume" Severus nodded again. "Potter and Black can be rather troublesome..."

"I don't care about Potter and Black, Sir!" Severus snapped, meeting his eyes.

"No?" Dumbledore asked

"No" he said, shaking his head. "How could I say that to her?" he asked quietly. He heard Dumbledore sigh.

"But you _haven't_ said that to her, Severus" he said gently

"How can I tell her about this? How could there even be a possibility that I would use that would against her? How could she not think that I _would_ one day?" he asked sadly.

"She _knows_ you, Severus. Better than anyone else does, I imagine"

"What if she still thinks I'm like _them_?"

" _You_ know _her._ She knows what you're going through. You have altered the outcome of these dreams before. This is another you will have to change" he explained calmly. Severus nodded slowly. He knew he couldn't let it happen. He couldn't say _that_ to her, no matter how upset, how angry he was. He wouldn't let the Marauders get the better of him.

Suddenly, the fireplace in the Headmaster's office flared, Madam Pomfrey's head appearing in the flames, her voice calling out.

"Headmaster? Are you here?"

"Yes, Poppy. What seems to be the trouble?"

"I have an injured student, I'm having a bit of trouble. Could you come through a minute please?" she asked, obviously trying to keep calm

"Yes of course. Who is the injured student, Poppy?" he asked casually

"It's Lily Evans, Albus" she stated before withdrawing from the fireplace, obviously intending for the Headmaster to come straight through. Severus' mouth fell open as he met Dumbledore's eyes.

"Would you care to join me, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, standing to make his way to the fireplace. Severus nodded, thankful he hadn't had to beg to be allowed to go to her.

"Why do I get the feeling Slytherins are going to have been involved in this?" Severus asked. Dumbledore nodded sadly. They were both aware of the threats that had been made, but until they could talk to Lily and find out what happened, there was no way to know who had injured her.

At the moment they had no idea _how_ she'd been injured, but if Madam Pomfrey needed help then it was obviously something worse than a Stinging Jinx or a Slug vomiting Hex. Mulciber was capable of some pretty dark magic, and that frightened Severus.

It was with that fear that Severus followed Dumbledore to the fireplace, standing beside him as the Headmaster took a handful of floo powder and announced their destination.

 **A/N - dialogue in Severus' dream section taken from 'Snape's Worst Memory' in 'Order of the Phoenix'**

 **A huge thank you again to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and favourited the story. I really, really appreciate it. I have most of the story planned out in rough now, and several chapters ahead written fully, and will keep on working it to hopefully make it good for all you readers out there.**

 **I'm not sure if there is a glitch with the reviews, the number of reviews has been going up, but I can't see any new ones on there and haven't had any come through to my email either, so not sure what is happening.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Severus stepped out of the fireplace with Dumbledore in Madam Pomfrey's office. The two quickly made their way out into the main section of the Hospital Wing, panic levels rising in Severus while he tried to find Lily.

The bed in the corner - where Severus often found himself - had the curtains drawn. Mary MacDonald was crying, hands covered in blood, shaking her head in disbelief. Severus stared at her with wide eyes, it was obvious MacDonald wasn't injured, despite her sobbing, so the blood must belong to Lily. Severus watched as Dumbledore disappeared behind the curtain, to assess the situation with Madam Pomfrey. Severus stared, momentarily rooted to the spot by the terror he felt.

Finally, he felt himself moving forwards, slowly, step by step, towards the curtain. He could see the shadows of the two adults moving around, but he couldn't hear them talking, presumably the Headmaster had cast a silencing spell of some sort.

"What happened?" he whispered. MacDonald jumped, apparently not even realising he was there.

"What are you doing here?" she asked

"I was with Dumbledore when Madam Pomfrey called. He said I could come. What happened to Lily?" he asked again, eyes still fixed on the curtain.

"We were cornered by them" she sobbed

"Mulciber?" he asked, and looked over to see her nodding.

"And Avery"

"What did they do?"

"They said they were teaching you a lesson. They disarmed us. And then they hurt her" she sobbed. Severus shook his head, he had an idea what they'd used on her "I hadn't heard that spell before, it cut her. Badly"

"Sectumsempra?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"That was it. You've heard of it?" she asked in a fearful voice. Severus nodded.

"You could say that" he told her. He didn't want to admit that he'd created that particular spell. He suddenly realised then why Madam Pomfrey was having difficulty healing Lily, injuries caused with that spell couldn't be healed with ordinary healing spells. With that in his mind, he quickly made his way beyond the curtain, not waiting to be asked. Severus gasped as he saw her, robes torn, a gash across her chest, blood soaking around her. And so pale. Far too pale.

"Mr Snape, what are you doing back here?" Madam Pomfrey gasped, clearly shocked by his presence.

"Normal healing spells won't work" he whispered

"No?" Dumbledore asked. Severus shook his head

"MacDonald said that Mulciber used a particularly nasty curse on her - Sectumsempra"

"Sectumsempra?" he quizzed.

"It's one I created, Sir, a while ago" he admitted, ashamed of that fact.

" _You_ created this spell, Severus?"

"Yes, Sir. But it can't be healed like a normal wound"

"Can it be healed?"

"Yes, Sir. I can heal it to an extent" he said quietly. Dumbledore nodded to him, clearly trying to figure him out. Dumbledore nodded to him, moving aside to give Severus room to approach Lily's bed.

Severus withdrew his wand from his robes and began to chant softly, tracing his wand carefully over Lily's injury. The two adults watched on as the wound slowly knitted back together under Severus' ministrations. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw his chanting was successful.

Dumbledore guided Severus into a chair beside Lily's bed, conjuring another chair to sit beside him.

"I believe we have much to talk about, Severus" Dumbledore said quietly. Severus nodded, not taking his eyes off Lily. Madam Pomfrey resumed bustling about her patient, cleaning the blood from her and repairing her robes, summoning and administering Blood Replenishing Potions to help her recover.

"That kind of curse is very dark, Severus"

"I know, Sir" he whispered "I didn't intend to use it unless absolutely necessary"

"The fact you can heal its effects is very impressive" Dumbledore told him. Severus didn't think that right now. At the moment, all he felt was shame. That one of his old _friends_ was using one of his inventions to hurt the girl he loved. Because they were mad at him. "I think it's time we moved Mr Mulciber"

"Sir?"

"I've seen in your memories that he threatened to harm both yourself and Miss Evans. Obviously it was more than just an idle threat"

"What will happen to him?" Severus asked, unsure whether the Headmaster would give him an answer

"Obviously I will need to inform his parents"

"I doubt they'll care, they're followers of You-know-who. They won't care about him hurting a Muggleborn student"

"I will be removing him from the dorm. He will stay in a room alone, and be escorted to and from his exams, to make sure he doesn't decide to go wandering, or looking for yourself and Miss Evans" he explained. Severus nodded.

"That will give the others more reason to come after us, Sir" he said sadly.

"That may be the case. I think Professor Slughorn may have to make more appearances in the dungeons over the next couple of weeks."

Severus nodded as he turned his attention back to Lily. These were quite drastic measures, but at least there was only a little over two weeks until the term ended, then they would have two months of peace. No looking over their shoulders for any of their bullies. Well, no one to worry about except his father, and perhaps Petunia poking her nose in.

"Her colour is looking a bit better now" Madam Pomfrey stated to the two sat beside her, "I think we should let her rest, for now"

"Can I stay with her? Please?" Severus asked, really not wanting to leave her alone.

"Yes. You can stay" Dumbledore said to him. Madam Pomfrey didn't argue "I will be leaving now. I need to have a quick word with Miss MacDonald. Before I pay a visit to Mr Mulciber and Professor Slughorn" he smiled, standing to make his way out and leave the teenagers to rest.

"I will be in my office, Mr Snape. Come and get me if you need anything. I have a monitoring charm on Miss Evans, so don't worry about her, I'll be right back if anything changes" Madam Pomfrey told him quietly. Severus nodded and watched her retreat to her office.

Once alone Severus stood to look at Lily more closely, taking in her soft features. Right now, she appeared to be sleeping peacefully, injuries healed. Blood Replenishers had returned her skin tone to a healthier colour. Now her body just needed to rest and recover. And he had no intention of leaving her. He brushed her hair away from her face, much like she had done to him a few weeks before, and gently kissed her forehead, reassured by the warmth of her skin.

Severus pulled his chair closer to Lily's bed, sitting himself back down, his hand firmly linked with hers, making himself as comfortable as he could, to wait for her to wake up.

...

Lily blinked slowly in the softly lit room, frowning as she realised she was in the Hospital Wing. She groaned as the memory of the attack came back to her, Mulciber and Avery cornering her and Mary, the vicious looks on their faces as they disarmed them. Then pain as the spell sliced across her chest, the two boys laughing as she collapsed to her knees.

"How are you feeling?" she heard the familiar voice asking. Severus was with her. She sighed in relief as she turned to see him say beside her, holding her hand gently.

"Just brilliant, thanks" she told him. Severus shifted closer, reaching out to stroke her hair.

"MacDonald told me what happened" he whispered, "I'm sorry"

"You didn't do this, Sev. You know what they're like"

"I'm still sorry, Lily" he told her

"Ah good, you're awake, Miss Evans. Though, I dare say you've felt better" Madam Pomfrey said as she bustled round the bed. Lily nodded, yes, she'd definitely had better days. "I'm keeping you here over night, just to make sure you get some rest and can get back to your OWL's"

"It's a good job we don't have an exam tomorrow" Severus said. Lily nodded, trying not to smile, exams didn't really seem so important at this particular moment. Satisfied that Lily only need rest, Madam Pomfrey excused herself back to her office, leaving the teenagers alone again

"It was my spell they used" Severus whispered, looking away

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused by his sudden announcement

"I created it, a while ago. I was sick of Potter and Black and was trying to come up with something to hurt them" he admitted quietly

"Did you teach it to your _friends?"_ she asked, scared at what his admission meant

"No," he said, shaking his head "It's something I wrote down in one of my books. I'm guessing another thing they found when they've been going through my things" he explained. Lily sighed with relief. Although it was scary to think he'd created something so dark, so destructive, at least he hadn't willingly shared it with people who were just plain _evil_.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked

"I was with Dumbledore. Madam Pomfrey called him, for help healing you and he asked me to come along. Presumably because it was you that was hurt" he told her, finally looking at her face again

"Why did she need help?" she asked, frowning.

"It's difficult to heal wounds caused by that spell, Lily"

"So, _Dumbledore_ had to do it?" she asked, shocked

"No," he said shaking his head "I healed you" he whispered.

" _You_ did?" she asked, eyes growing wide. Severus nodded.

"I created the curse. I also created the counter curse." Lily took a deep breath. That was impressive. "Mulciber is being moved, to his own room. He'll be escorted to and from exams, and not allowed to leave for any other reason" he told her.

"Almost sounds like prison"

"I don't know how much it will help. The rest of his goons will surely carry on in his absence" he said sadly. "If only they could all be shipped off to Azkaban now, save everyone a lot of trouble later on"

"Enough about them, Sev" she said, not wanting to dwell on the events that had taken place after their exam. She needed to know more about Severus "You were with the Headmaster?" she asked, Severus nodded, "Talking about your nightmare?"

"It was another memory. I was able to show him in the Pensieve" he explained.

"So what happened?"

"I did something unforgivable" he said sadly "Something that would make you hate me"

"I could never hate you" she told him, worried what he could have done that was so bad. "Just start from the beginning" Severus took a deep breath.

"It started after one of our exams. The _Marauders_ caught me off guard, disarmed me, choked me with soap bubbles, hung me upside down..." he was talking quickly now.

"Sev, it's sounds awful"

"It gets worse. You came, to try and help me, shouting at them to leave me alone"

"That sounds about right" she snorted. But why was that so bad?

"I told you, I didn't want your help. I called you a, a..." he cut himself off, shaking his head as he looked at her. Called her what? Oh. No. He wouldn't do that.

"A mud - " she started to say it

"Don't. Please don't say it, Lily" he begged, tears forming in his eyes

"You wouldn't call me that, Sev" she told him softly. Maybe she could have imagined that slipping from him if he was still friends with his dorm mates. But not _now_. He looked her in the eyes again, all she could see was sorrow. He was sorry for that word, even if he hadn't used it himself. "You wouldn't call me that, Sev" she said firmly, willing him to believe her. "So it's supposed to happen soon then?" she asked.

"Probably in the next week" he answered

"So, we'll make sure to leave exams together, won't let the Marauders take you by surprise" she told him. Simple really.

"I was just so worried, that you would think I'm like them after all" he whispered. Is that really what he thought? That she didn't know him better than that by now? But then, these dreams did have a way of unsettling him, challenging what he thought he knew.

"I know you better than that now, Sev" she smiled "You wouldn't intentionally hurt me"

"Never" he said, his face softening as he reached to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well there you go then. It'll be ok" she said confidently. She believed that. They'd already proven this reality could differ from his dreams, and this was something that _would_ be altered.

"It will be ok" he agreed, his face relaxing further still. He looked like he was starting to believe it too. She squeezed his fingers in reassurance, relieved when she felt him squeeze hers in return. Even more relieved when he leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her lips.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

As the OWL's entered their second week, Lily had kept her word, never leaving an exam without him. She was convinced this would be enough to alter the memory he'd seen in his dream. Severus believed otherwise, he just knew something was coming. The Marauders were going to attack him at some point. They had made it obvious it was only a matter of time until they did. They wasted no opportunity to taunt him, call names. But Severus ignored them, though it was getting harder to keep calm as time went on. Sometimes, it was only the fact that Lily was by his side that stopped him from retaliating. He couldn't let her get caught in the middle, in the crossfire.

Though Lily was another reason that Potter had upped the torment. Every time Potter saw Lily, he had to flirt, ask her to meet him, go for a walk, question why she spent so much time with 'Snivellus'. It seemed Potter was determined to provoke him, trying to get Severus to show Lily his 'true colours' and lash out, causing a rift between Lily and himself. He couldn't let that happen. And Lily seemed equally determined to prove they would stand together.

Lily recovered well after the attack instigated by Mulciber, she had been released from the Hospital Wing the next morning as expected, with no lasting complications. Mulciber had been moved to a room alone, away from the dungeons, and the other Slytherins were not happy. Especially Avery. They continued to torment him when they had a chance, but Severus avoided them whenever possible, spending his time in the library or outside with Lily, until curfew meant they had no choice but to return to their Houses.

Fortunately Dumbledore and Slughorn were keeping a much closer eye on the troublesome Slytherins, patrolling the corridors more often, and stopping by the dungeons unannounced, which meant the chances of them attacking were lower.

Though of course, Lily being attacked by one of Severus' supposed _friends_ , only gave the Marauders more ammunition, more reason to go after Severus.

Now, there were only a few days left of the exams, then a week after that, they would be heading home for the summer. Lily and Severus were walking outside after their Defence Against the Dark Arts exam, heading towards their favourite place to hide away from their class mates.

"Alright, Snivellus?" they heard Potter shout. He and Lily spun quickly, reaching for their wands "Expelliarmus!" Potter cried. Severus watched as both his and Lily's wands left their hands, landing in the soft grass behind them.

"Impedimenta!" Black shouted, aiming his wand at Severus as he'd turned to retrieve his wand. Severus lay panting on the floor under the effects of the jinx. He couldn't let himself react, he wouldn't let them provoke him this time.

Severus saw Lily pick up their wands, fortunately the Marauders had no intention of jinxing her. He saw her aiming her wand at the annoying boys, scowl on her pretty face

"Leave us ALONE!" she shouted

"Ah, come on, Evans, it's only a bit of fun" Potter grinned, ruffling his hair

"Leave him alone. What's he done to you?" she asked furiously

"Well, it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean..." he shrugged. Black roared with laughter, Pettigrew sniggering stupidly, titters spreading threw the growing crowd..

"You think you're funny, but you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter" she spat "Leave him alone!"

"I will if you go out with me, Evans. Go on...go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again" he grinned.

"If you hadn't noticed, I'm already taken. And besides, I wouldn't go out with you if it was choice between you and the giant squid!" she yelled. Severus felt himself smile, but he refused to move, even though he could feel the Impediment Jinx wearing off.

"Bad luck, Prongs" Black laughed. Potter was not impressed, and directed his wand at Severus again. Severus felt himself hoisted off the ground and into the air, dangling by his ankle. He felt his robes fall around his face, and kept his eyes firmly on Lily, ignoring the giggling spectators. This time there was no smile on her face, not even a hint of one. Only anger, green eyes blazing.

"Let him down" she shouted

"Certainly" Potter smiled, letting Severus fall into a crumpled heap on the ground.

"Petrificus Totalus" Black yelled at him, and Severus found himself on the ground again under the Body Bind.

"That's enough, James, Sirius" the voice of Remus Lupin joined. Severus' jaw would have dropped in shock, if it had been able. This was certainly different.

"Ah, come on, not you too, Remus" Potter protested.

"Let him go, he hasn't even done anything wrong. You two started on him, he hasn't hexed you, he hasn't even got his wand at the moment"

"Remus, it's only a laugh, mate" Black added, clearly not happy that one of their own was trying to stop their fun.

"Just let him go. Let them both go. Or I'm going to report you to McGonagall" Lupin instructed

"You wouldn't" Potter stated "You know Snivellus is dodgy, why else would he be spending so much time with Dumbledore? Obviously got himself a shed load of detention" he reasoned. If he could have, he would have rolled his eyes.

"It's none of our business. Now let him go" Lupin ordered again. With an annoyed sigh, Black lifted the Body Bind, allowing Severus to stand. "Now come on" Lupin said to the rest of the Marauders. Potter, Black and Pettigrew gave Severus their best glares before reluctantly starting to follow Lupin.

"It's not over, _Snivellus_ " Potter whispered harshly as he left, casting an angry look over his shoulder as he headed back to the Castle.

"Probably not" Severus muttered once they were gone. Lily moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Severus quickly returned the hug, relief flooding through him, that he hadn't uttered that hateful word. Overcome with emotion, he pulled back, reaching to cup her face gently, looking intently into her eyes, her smiling face, before kissing her fully on the lips, despite the small crowd which was still in the process of dispersing. Lily readily kissed him in return, her arms holding him tighter as his hand moved through her soft hair.

"I love you, Lily" he whispered as he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers. He saw her face light up in a brilliant smile

"I love you too, Sev" she whispered back, and he couldn't help the smile that brightened his own face. Yes, reality had become very different to the memory he'd seen in his dreams.

...

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office, deep in thought. Minerva McGonagall and Horace Slughorn seated opposite him at the large desk, helping themselves to tea. The time had come to fill in two of his trusted colleagues about Severus Snape. He had wanted to avoid anyone knowing, purely to minimise the chances of information falling into the wrong hands. But the behaviours of some of Severus' year mates was putting him in increasing danger anyway. There wasn't much to lose in bringing the Gryffindor and Slytherin Heads of House into the loop. Plus, both of them had been asking questions about the sudden increase in time Severus had been spending in his office, like Potter, they had assumed he was serving detentions with the Headmaster, but as far as they were aware his behaviour hadn't warranted any punishments.

"Thank you both for coming" Albus started, setting his teacup down on the desk

"Not a problem, Albus" Minerva replied, "Judging by your expression, it's something serious?" she added, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Indeed, Minerva" he nodded "Severus Snape" he sighed

"Is the boy in trouble, Albus?" Horace asked, "I know he's a bit of an odd one at times, but I don't think he means any harm" he tried to reason, though sounded a little disappointed. Albus shook his head, Horace obviously did not know Severus Snape.

"No, Horace. He isn't in trouble" he began. "There is something _curious_ effecting Mr Snape"

"Oh?" asked Minerva, taking a sip of her tea

"For almost two months he has been having rather unusual kinds of dreams" he started to explain, noting the confused faces of his professors.

"We all have dreams, Albus" Horace said with a chuckle

" _These_ are memories, of things that have not yet happened"

"He's a Seer?" Minerva asked

"No. He's not a Seer, Minerva. These are quite specific events. Some things he has witnessed in his dreams have become something different in reality, some things he has seen have yet to come about"

"And they're definitely memories?" she quizzed

"Definitely. We have been able to extract these memories and view them in the Pensieve"

"Could we view them?" Horace asked, clearly his interest had been piqued. Albus shook his head.

"No, Horace. I do not believe that would be fair to Mr Snape. Though he has given me permission to bring you into the discussion, he has not given permission for others to view his memories. Miss Evans is the only other person who knows"

"I see" Minerva smiled knowingly. "So, how is he getting these memories?" she asked

"That, is something we have yet to discover" Albus admitted "He is being sent the memories from somewhere, at some point in the future"

"Who could be sending them?" Horace asked

"I would guess the only person who could send them, would be Severus himself. For whatever reason. Probably as a warning not to make the same mistakes again" he said

"But how? And from where? When?" Minerva asked, struggling to wrap her head around it

"Logic would suggest, after his death, given the first memory he received was that of his own death"

"Don't be absurd, Albus, that's not possible" Minerva scoffed.

"Possible or not, it _is_ happening" he assured her, "I have been teaching him Occlumency"

"In your meetings?" Horace asked

"Yes. As well as reviewing these memories, we have been working on Occlumency to help him protect himself. None of the memories sent to him have been pleasant" Albus watched the two Professors carefully, as they both set their teacups down on the desk. "I'm sure it hasn't escaped your attentions that there is trouble brewing in both of your Houses, regarding Severus" he stated quietly. They both nodded sadly.

"So what do we do, Albus?" Minerva asked.

"We need to watch them closely. James Potter and Sirius Black have made it rather publicly known that they do not like him, and have targeted him a number of times, the last being yesterday after their Defence exam. They managed to draw quite a crowd. Both boys are already serving detentions each weekend due to a previous offence. I am concerned this behaviour will continue next term, especially given the growing relationship between Mr Snape and Miss Evans" he explained. Minerva nodded in understanding, she would watch and intervene sooner.

"And there is the trouble in Slytherin House" Albus said, turning his attention to Horace. Horace shifted uncomfortably. "There were threats made regarding Miss Evans' safety, before she was attacked. Severus' dorm mates have made it clear they do not approve of him spending so much time with one who is Muggleborn"

"Well that's preposterous, Miss Evans is a highly accomplished witch" Horace huffed in defence.

"Indeed she is, but that has nothing to do with their prejudice, Horace. Some students have made their intentions clear, they wish to follow Lord Voldemort once their time at Hogwarts is at an end. They are obviously attempting to aid the cause while still students. We cannot have another attack like that" Albus explained. "Mulciber will stay in his own room this term, but that still leaves Severus at the mercy of the others who are still there"

"I've been popping in and out the common room and dorms, to keep an eye on things" Horace said

"Yes, and that's a start. I believe the best option would be to move Severus to his own room next term instead. He won't have to worry about having his belongings ransacked, or sleep with one eye open"

"It is a rather drastic measure to take, Albus" Minerva said

"Hardly seems fair to isolate the boy when he's done nothing wrong" Horace added.

"No, but his safety is in jeopardy. And I regret to say, I believe he has far more enemies than friends in Slytherin." Albus reasoned. His colleagues nodded sadly. Things were definitely getting complicated when it came to Severus Snape. "There is little time left this term. I will visit him over the summer and propose moving him. I will let him decide for himself where he should wish to be" he added

"Very well, Albus. If you think that's best" Horace finally answered.

"Don't worry, we'll keep a close watch on things" Minerva added

"Very well" Albus acknowledged. "In that case, I shall let you return to your duties" he smiled. His colleagues smiled and nodded politely, leaving the office quickly, leaving the Headmaster alone with his thoughts.

Albus trusted they would be able to keep things under control, ensure the situation wouldn't escalate. He needed to keep Severus Snape safe, he needed to keep the boys trust now that he was starting to earn it. If not, after seeing the effects of one of Severus' creations, he feared that Severus himself could become a very dangerous enemy.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Lily finally made her way to the train compartment she was sharing with Severus. Her turn at patrolling over, she could now relax in peace with her friend. Lily tried to slide the door open, frowning when it didn't move. Severus looked up as she tapped on the window to attract his attention. With a smile, he raised his wand at the door, allowing it to slide to the side and let her in.

"I warded the door" he told her in response to her quizzical expression

"Ah, makes sense" she smiled, sitting close beside him. Severus lifted his wand to re-ward the door, before sliding his arm around her shoulder. With a sigh, she leaned back against his shoulder, resting her hand on his leg.

"How was patrol?" he asked

"Fine" she shrugged. "Everyone's excited to be going home, but at the moment they seem to be behaving themselves." Lily felt him tense, she knew he didn't want to go home himself, but there were no other alternatives. "Are you ok?" she asked, shifting to look at his face.

"I don't really know, if I'm honest"

"Understandable." Everything had changed so much in the last couple of months "At least we'll be away from Potter and Black" she told him. He smiled and nodded gently

"Yes, that's definitely a major plus. And no Slytherins" he added. It was her turn to nod then. She was definitely glad to be away from Mulciber, she'd said it before and knew she would say it again - He was _evil_

Lily, thankfully, hadn't seen him since the attack, and Severus had told her he'd been removed from the Slytherin dorms. She would have to face him again in September, but that was two months away, and she'd worry about that later.

The last week of term had felt strange. It seemed they couldn't go anywhere, couldn't turn a corner without catching a glimpse of a Professor. Wherever her and Severus went, Professor McGonagall, Professor Slughorn, or Professor Dumbledore was nearby. As if ready to intervene in _something_. Others had noticed too, the Marauders hadn't said a single word to Severus, and the Slytherins hadn't said a word to either of them. She didn't like it, being followed. Being watched. But maybe that had been preferable to being attacked. Tensions were high after she'd been injured by Mulciber, and Potter was determined to keep provoking Severus in one way or another. At least with teachers nearby, things wouldn't escalate, and Severus wouldn't get in trouble for fighting back. Logical as it was, she still didn't like it. And now the summer was here it would be just her and Severus.

"I told Mum" she whispered

"Hmm? Told your Mum what?" he asked

"About us. That we're a couple" she explained, starting to blush

"Ah" he grinned. That was a good sign

"Well, I thought it would be less awkward if they knew beforehand"

"How did they take it?" he asked quietly

"They're fine with _us,_ Sev. They've known you for years. To be honest, I don't think they're surprised" she laughed. Severus laughed then too, before tightening his hold around her.

"Petunia will hate it" he said with a smirk

"Tuney hates everything" she said rolling her eyes

"Does it bother you?" he asked, expression sobering

"A bit" she admitted sadly, "She's my sister. But I can't choose things based on whether or not she would approve. And at the end of the day, I'm still going to be a witch. I can't change that, and I wouldn't want to"

"You don't have to change a thing" Severus told her gently, pressing a kiss to the side of her head, continuing to hold her close to him. The two stayed in silence for a while, as she enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped in his arms, the motion of the carriage soothing and relaxing her, watching as the scenery whizzed by.

The next thing Lily knew, Severus was gently waking her. Evidently, she'd drifted off some time ago and Severus had laid her down, her head on his lap so she could sleep more comfortably, him keeping watch to make sure no one could get into their compartment. She smiled up at him as she woke, seeing his eyes on her, soft and warm, and smiling. One hand was gently running through her long, red hair. And she didn't want to move. She felt safe and content, and comfortable. Just the two of them, almost in their own world, despite being on a train with hundreds of students.

"Do we have to move?" she finally asked.

"The train will be stopping in a minute" he told her, "I think your parents will notice if we don't get off" he added with a smile.

"Fine" she mock pouted, pushing herself up to sit beside him, "But I have something for you before we get off the train" she told him, enjoying the momentary look of confusion that crossed his face. With a cheeky smile, she leaned into him, pressing her lips onto his, her hands gripping his neck and shoulders to steady herself. She felt him snake an arm around her waist, as the other moved to her hair, gently stroking as his lips moved in response to hers.

The train stopped with a jolt, jarring the two apart suddenly.

"Well, we can't do that in front of my parents" she told him with a grin.

"No, I don't think they would approve" he replied with a grin of his own. Severus stood, lifting their trunks down from the rack above, waiting for her before removing the wards from the door so they could join the bustling crowd of students making their way off the train.

Lily kept a firm grip on Severus' hand as they made their way back out to the main station, eager to see her parents again after months apart. She could see Severus constantly looking around, hoping to avoid any confrontations now they were heading back to the Muggle world and there were no Professors to watch over them.

As the students around them peeled off in different directions, Lily spotted her parents off to one side.

"Mum! Dad!" she called as she tugged Severus along with her towards them. Lily let go of Severus hand and her trunk as she approached them, both parents rushing to embrace her

"Lily, we've missed you sweetheart" her mother whispered softly

"I missed you too" she told them, blinking back happy tears

"Hello Severus, good to see you again" Lily's father said, turning his attention to Severus

"Hello, Mr Evans" Severus replied, reaching to shake his hand "Mrs Evans" he acknowledged, nodding to her mother.

"Hello, Severus dear. Have you had a good year?" she asked, patting his cheek affectionately

"It got better" he answered with a smile.

"Ah, yes" her mother replied, with a knowing smile "Lily told us about you two." Severus flushed

"It's not just that, Mum" Lily giggled.

"I've had a bit of bother with some class mates of ours. But things seemed to have calmed down a bit the last couple of weeks" Severus answered.

"What kind of bother?" her father asked him

"Oh, it's nothing much, usual things" he shrugged, "I've been meeting with the Headmaster, he'll get things sorted" Lily reached for his free hand. He wasn't being entirely honest about the situation with his dorm mates, she guessed he didn't want to worry her parents. No doubt he thought they wouldn't be so accepting of their relationship of they thought it would attract so much negative attention, not just from his dorm mates but from her own too. They would want to know _why_ so many others disapproved so strongly.

Slowly, the group of four made their way out to find the car, all eager to begin the last stretch of their journey home. Lily had already arranged for her parents to drive Severus home, as they often did. It was rare that his mother made the trip herself, and there was no way his father would entertain the notion of making a special trip to collect the son that he'd made everyone aware he despised. At least this way, she got an extra couple of hours with him, and that was nothing to complain about.

Trunks safely in the car, the family piled inside, all happily engaged in conversation. Severus was the quietest, as expected, but he did join in, answering her parents numerous questions about Hogwarts, their classes, their exams. They exchanged glances and smiles, holding hands from where they sat. Lily watched as Severus closed his eyes as the conversation lulled, the motion of the car sending him to sleep, not that she was surprised, he'd stayed awake watching over her on the train to make sure she was safe.

They were both safe now, with her parents, and hoped they would stay safe until their return to Hogwarts in September. Still exhausted after the long day, Lily let her eyes drift closed once more, soothed by the sound and motion of the car, and the soft snores coming from Severus.

...

"Sev?" He heard her soft voice whispering. For a moment, he didn't want to open his eyes. Just wanted to stay wherever he happened to currently be, he was comfortable, and obviously safe. And Lily was nearby. "Sev?" she called again, tapping his shoulder gently. Severus blinked, looking around with bleary eyes, before he found hers. She smiled as he frowned, when the realisation of he was dawned on him. In her parents car. Outside his house. Now, he _really_ didn't want to wake up.

If he was awake, that meant he had to go inside his house. He had to face his parents. If he was lucky, only his mother would be there, and his father would be drinking himself into a stupor in one pub or another.

"Are you awake now?" Lily whispered softly

"Mmm. Unfortunately I am" he replied

"It'll be ok, Sev" she told him. He nodded. He wished he could believe her.

"Thank you for the lift home, Mrs Evans" Severus thanked her politely, she was still sat in the front passenger seat. Lily's father was out the car, getting his trunk out ready

"That's no problem, Severus. No doubt we'll see you tomorrow?" she posed with a smile. Severus nodded and smiled

"I'm sure I'll see you before too long" he replied. At least it sounded as though he was welcome to visit Lily's house, that would help him keep out of his father's way. Severus got out from the back of the car, stretching his legs after a long day of travelling. He smiled as he saw Lily had got out the car too.

"Thank you, Mr Evans" he said to Lily's father, reaching to take his trunk from him.

"No problem, Severus. I'll be seeing you soon"

"Yes, Sir" Severus replied as Mr Evans got back in the car, giving them a small amount of privacy to say their goodbyes before he was left alone. Lily walked around the car to where he stood on the pavement, wrapping her arms around his waist. Severus wasted no time wrapping his own around her tightly, not wanting to let her go.

"I'm really not looking forward to this, Lily" he admitted quietly

"It will be ok, Sev" she whispered back

"Who are you trying to reassure?" he asked

"Both of us" she admitted, "I don't like the thought of leaving you here" she told him.

"Let's just hope _he_ isn't home" he said

"Mmm" she mumbled into his chest, not loosening her hold.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked, reaching up to stroke her hair

"Mmm" she nodded, "Just come over to my house whenever you want to . We can stay there, or go for a walk if you like" she told him

"Sounds good" he smiled. Something to look forward to. He gently pulled her away by her shoulders, he knew her parents would be keen to get her home, it couldn't be much fun sat in a car waiting all night for their daughter. "Go on, I'll see you tomorrow" he told her again. Lily nodded, still staring at him with wide eyes. He leaned in, giving her a quick kiss before stepping away, taking hold of his trunk once again, and hoping her parents wouldn't be offended by the display of affection. He was sure he would hear about it if they weren't happy.

"Goodnight, Sev" she said quietly, as she got back into her parents car

"Goodnight, Lily" he whispered back, watching as the Evans' car pulled off and drove around the corner out of sight.

Severus stood for a moment, watching in the direction the car had headed, taking deep breaths in preparation for returning to his house.

"Are you staying out here all night?" a voice interrupted

"Mother?" he asked as he spun round to face her

"Well?" she asked

"No. I'm coming" he answered, dragging his trunk towards the house. Neither of them spoke again until they were inside and the door securely locked.

"Where is he?" Severus finally asked, relieved he didn't have to face him just yet.

"Out" she said simply. Out drinking, no doubt, same as ever. "The Evans brought you home again?"

"How else would I get home, mother?" he snapped. He sighed as she turned away. "I'm sorry, it's been a long day. Yes, Mr and Mrs Evans brought me home" he said a little more calmly. "And Lily. Lily and I are together now" he told her.

"Together? I saw you kiss her" Severus felt himself flushing. "Your first girlfriend?" she asked

"Yes" he nodded "And hopefully the last"

"Oh? You are only sixteen, Severus"

"I am aware of that, mother" he sighed

"You two have always been...close" she said carefully

"Are you upset about this?" he frowned. His mother took a deep breath before meeting his eyes

"No, Severus. You are growing up. Just..."

"Just what?" he asked, confused

"Make sure you treat her properly, Severus. Look after her" she said quietly.

"What? I'm not like _him_ mother" he snapped. His mother didn't look sure as she took a step back from him. Is that what his own mother thought of him?

"You do have his temper, Severus" she whispered

"There is a difference! I may snap when I'm frustrated, but I've never raised my hand! Do you honestly think I would do to Lily, what _he_ has done to _you?_ You do know how much I despise that man?" he asked, if she thought he would ever do those things, then she didn't know him at all.

"I'm sorry, Severus" she said quietly "Why don't you go on up to bed, like you said, it's been a long day"

"I'm not like him, mother, and I never will be" he told her quietly as he walked passed her and up the stairs to his bedroom, shoving his trunk in the corner and flopping onto his bed, still fully clothes. He realised then that he had no idea what time it was, only that it was getting dark, but he didn't particularly care. The exhaustion of the long day of travelling caught up with him again and he let his eyes close as he succumbed to sleep.

Severus had no idea how long he'd been asleep when the front door slamming woke him. He jolted awake with that stomach churning realisation - his father was home. And he was not happy in the slightest. Severus couldn't make out all the words that were said, he could make out his father's low rumble, yelling at his mother, his mother crying out as he'd obviously hit her. He heard glass breaking, something being thrown "Bloody freak!" he heard his father shout. His father knew he was home. Severus didn't know what to do, for a split second he thought about climbing out the window, but that would only delay the inevitable, and he'd only be punished further when he did see him again. Severus could feel his heart hammering in his chest, his breath coming in panicked bursts as he heard his father's heavy footsteps heading up the stairs.

"Boy!" his father yelled. Severus didn't answer. Only stared at his door in the darkness, waiting for the footsteps to stop and the door to open.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Lily sat at the table in silence, carefully sipping tea and nibbling at her toast, Petunia sat opposite, arms folded across her chest, foot tapping in an annoyed manner. And the angriest glare she'd ever seen aimed at her.

Lily tried to ignore her, kept her eyes fixed on her teacup. She wouldn't rise to her, she wouldn't be as childish as her sister. But _Merlin_ she wanted to be.

"I just don't get it!" Petunia snapped with a huff

"Get what, exactly?" Lily asked calmly, deep breaths.

"Why does _he_ have to be coming here exactly?"

"He's my best friend, Tuney. He often comes over during the holidays" she answered. Petunia snorted,

"Best friend indeed. Mum said he was your boyfriend" she sneered

"Yes. He's my boyfriend now too, but he's also still my best friend. Pick whichever term you prefer"

"It's disgusting!" Petunia spat viciously.

"Now, really Petunia, that's enough" her mother told her, as she came to join them at the table.

"How can you stand the thought of Lily with _that boy_ , Mother?"

"Stop calling him that!" Lily snapped at her.

"Petunia, honestly" her mother started, clearly frustrated "That's enough, there is nothing wrong with Severus." Petunia sneered at her mother's statement

"Why are you always taking their side?" Petunia snapped at her mother.

"It's not about taking sides, Petunia. It's about respecting people's choices. Lily and Severus have been close for a number of years. This is obviously the next step in their relationship" she explained. Lily sighed, at least her Mum was ok with Severus.

"But you know where he comes from" Petunia spat

"He's not his father!" Lily joined angrily. Is this _really_ what this was about?

"So you don't worry that one day he's going to become an alcoholic woman beater?" Petunia smirked.

"No, not in the slightest. He's nothing like his father. All he wants is to protect me" she whispered, furious that anyone could think that about him, anyone with eyes in their head could see how protective he was of her.

"You'll see. Like father, like son" Petunia stated. Lily jumped up from the table, she'd heard enough.

"Lily, sit down." her mother instructed "Petunia, go to your room"

"Go to my room?" she asked in disbelief, "I'm 18 you know" she informed them

"Well, start acting like it. You're still under my roof and you're acting like a child. So go to your room" her mother said quietly. Petunia shoved the chair away from the table, stomping off and up the stairs, angry footsteps pounding away until they finally heard the slam of her bedroom door.

Lily sank back down into her chair, returning her attention to what remained of her tea.

"Why does everyone think Severus is a bad guy?" she asked her mother sadly

"I don't think he is" her mother answered quietly, "He didn't choose who his parents are, but from what I've seen, he isn't like that"

"No, he's not. And you're really ok with me and Severus?" she found herself asking

"Yes, Lily. I thought it was only a matter of time if I'm honest" she said with a smile. Lily smiled then too "Does he make you happy?" her mother asked.

"Yes" she nodded "Very happy. I don't think there's anyone else in the world quite like him" she said

"Well, that's all that matters then." The two women sat in silence then, as they finished their tea.

"The others at school don't like it" Lily said quietly.

"What? You and Severus?" she asked. Lily nodded. She wanted to be honest with her parents, but wasn't sure how much she should say, about the politics of it all.

"There's a group of boys in my House, they've been after Sev since the first year. They hate him on principle, because he's in Slytherin" she began to explain.

"Oh that's ridiculous!" her mother scoffed.

"I know. The ringleader keeps asking me out, so they hate him even more now. The Headmaster is aware of it though and trying to keep an eye on things"

"Poor Severus" her mother said sadly. Lily nodded.

"Plus, there are a group of Slytherins that hate the both of us" she told her

"Both of you?"

"Me, because I'm Muggleborn. And Severus because he wants to be with someone who is Muggleborn"

"Well that's even more ridiculous!" her mother said

"The Headmaster knows about it. Severus has been having extra lessons with Dumbledore and they talk about a lot of things." she hoped she could leave it at that, she didn't want to get into _why_ he needed the lessons.

"So the Headmaster is doing something?" her mother asked, obviously not believing enough was done.

"Oh he's definitely doing something. I just hope things have settled down when we go back in September"

"Mmm" her mother said as there was a knock at the door, "I'll get it" she added as she stood from the table. Lily wondered whether she should have gone, in case it was Severus and stood as well, following her mother.

"Ah, hello Severus dear, come in" her mother greeted warmly as she pulled the door open.

"Good morning, Mrs Evans. Thank you" he replied as he made his way in, closing the door behind him.

"I'll go and pop the kettle on, make us all some tea" her mother said, making her way back to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Lily" he said quietly, not quite looking at her.

"Good morning, Sev" she replied as she made her way closer. Then she spotted it, reaching out to touch his cheek and turn his face towards hers "Sev?" she asked, gently tucking his hair behind his ear. He didn't answer, obviously not wanting to talk about the black eye. She knew how he'd got it. He didn't have to tell her.

"I'll talk about it later, ok?" he whispered. Lily nodded sadly, wrapping both arms around his neck, drawing him into a hug, resting her chin on his shoulder. Severus wrapped his arms tenderly around her waist, resting his cheek against her head, breathing deeply.

"Tea's ready, kids" her mother called

"Coming, Mum" Lily called over her shoulder, not really wanting to let him go just yet. Severus pulled away first, attempting to give her a smile as their eyes met. He leaned in to gently touch his lips to hers, before she took his hand, leading him through to the kitchen.

"There you go" her mother said as she placed cups of tea in front of them at the table. "Oh goodness, what happened to your eye?" she asked as she finally spotted the bruising.

"Nothing. Just clumsy" he told her, attempting to shrug it off. It didn't look like she believed him, but she didn't question him further. Severus Snape was _not_ clumsy. Her mother hurried off to the freezer, rummaging around for a minute before returning.

"You should at least put some ice on it for a bit, Severus" she said quietly, handing him a frozen bundle. Severus nodded, taking it from her, holding it gingerly against his eye.

"Yes, Mrs Evans. Thank you"

"Any other bumps or bruises?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"No, just this" he told her, gesturing to his face. Lily wasn't sure if she believed him or not, and could tell her mother wasn't convinced either. Her mother nodded, all of them aware he wasn't going to discuss it further.

"Well, you two drink your tea" she told them, "I need to go and have a little chat with Petunia" she said, her expression turning more serious, before she left them alone in the kitchen. Lily didn't envy her mother one bit. it was not going to be a pleasant conversation. When it came to Petunia Evans, magic was always going to be a problem. And given that Severus was the first wizard they had ever encountered, and the one to introduce Lily to this wonderful world, she was always going to lay the blame for anything firmly at the feet of Severus Snape.

...

Severus and Lily walked hand in hand, away from the Evans house towards the park they often frequented, to find their usual place, under the tree overlooking the river. The shouting had started not long after Mrs Evans had gone upstairs to talk to Petunia, and neither Severus or Lily wanted to hang around and potentially overhear something offensive slip from Petunia's lips.

They had drunk their tea quickly, placing their empty cups beside the sink, and what remained of the ice in the sink itself. Their walk to the park had been in silence, Severus knew he would have to explain about the black eye, and what happened at home, when they got there and fortunately Lily seemed to know not to question it before he was ready.

Eventually they reached their tree, flopping down on the grass beneath it. Both sat with their backs against the rough bark, legs outstretched. Lily squeezed his fingers gently. Severus sighed, he didn't even know how to begin

"Your father?" she whispered. Severus nodded as he felt her eyes on him.

"He's not happy that I'm home from school" he said quietly. Lily didn't say anything, just stroked his hand with her thumb. "I was asleep, I heard him come home, drunk, as usual, banging, throwing things, shouting. Then he came up the stairs for me" he whispered. "He was mostly shouting in my face, but he obviously felt I needed more than obscenities thrown at me" he told her, shoulders slumping.

"Are you ok?" she asked quietly

"I'll be ok" he answered, he knew he would be. "I've had worse" he told her, which was true. A black eye wasn't _that_ bad in the grand scheme of things.

"How is your Mum?" she asked. Severus sighed

"To be honest, I don't know what to make of her sometimes. She was waiting for me last night, she saw us out the window. But she hasn't said a word to me this morning" he said with a shrug.

"When you say, she saw 'us'?" Lily asked

"Yes. She saw us kiss. She knows we're together" he answered, almost smiling. He still had to keep reminding himself it was _real._

"Is she ok with that?" Lily asked nervously

"She knows we've always been close. But, she is concerned" he answered.

"Concerned? Why, because I'm Muggleborn?" she asked, frowning sadly. Severus almost laughed.

"She's concerned _for_ you, Lily" he told her as watched her face closely.

"I don't understand?" she said. Yes, she did. He knew Petunia would be saying exactly the same things.

"My Mother wanted to remind me that I'm to treat you... _properly_ " he said quietly. Her mouth fell open, shocked as she realised what he meant.

"She can't possibly think that you would..." she cut herself off. Severus sighed. "But you wouldn't" she said emphatically. Severus smiled. At least Lily knew, there was no possible way he could ever hurt her. Never.

"I would imagine Petunia thinks the same" he ventured. Lily sighed.

"I don't care what Petunia thinks" she said angrily, "I _know_ you, Severus" she stated. Severus smiled. Yes, she did know him. She might be the only person on the planet who did, but he didn't care. As long as Lily knew him, no one else mattered.

Severus shifted, removing his hand from hers so he could wrap his arm around her, pulling her close, hoping they didn't have to discuss his hideous home life any further.

"Dumbledore said he was coming to visit during the holidays" he finally said, changing the subject.

"Oh? How come?" she asked.

"Well, I think to see how the Occlumency is going, and to check if any more memories come through"

"Do you think any more will?"

"I do. I still feel like it's not over. That those dreams are just the first wave"

"Do you think the Occlumency is helping?" Lily asked.

"I don't think so. I think the break between memories was coincidence, rather than anything I did"

"So why carry on then?"

"It still might prove useful later on. Even if it doesn't help with the dreams it could still be a useful skill to have" he explained. That was the truth. Plus, he did enjoy the fact that he was having private lessons, and it did help him feel more comfortable with their Headmaster. So it wasn't a waste of time at all.

"Do you still have no idea how these 'memories' are being sent to you?" she asked, shifting herself so her head rested on his chest.

"No. I wish I did. I get the feeling Dumbledore could make a guess or two, but he's not sharing that with me yet. I keep reading those few books we have, but still can't think how memories are getting to me, from the future"

"And he's not said who he thinks is sending them to you?"

"No" he answered as he stroked her hair.

"Do you have any theories?"

"I think the memories have to have come from me. They're definitely _my_ memories. But whether it's me who has sent them back, or someone else..."

"Like Dumbledore?" she suggested, looking up at him then. Severus frowned.

"Why would he do that?" he whispered.

"Maybe he thinks he's helping" she replied.

"Well, it certainly looked like my life was fast going down the drain. If those things that I'd seen had happened this term, where would I be now? Where would _we_ be?" he asked. Realisation suddenly hitting him, his life would have been 'very' different.

"That's a scary thought" Lily admitted quietly. Severus nodded, it was indeed. He hated to think what would have happened.

"Hmm. If I hadn't warned you about that attack on Mary MacDonald..." he started

"It would have put doubt in my mind, about the 'real' you" she whispered.

"If I had gone down into that tunnel, you still wouldn't believe me about Lupin" he said. Lily looked away. "If I had called you _that_ " he shuddered, "I don't think you'd even be talking to me by now, never mind anything else" he said shaking his head.

"If you hadn't seen yourself as a Death Eater?" she asked.

"If I hadn't seen all that, I wouldn't be working with Dumbledore. You wouldn't be talking to me - or at the very least there would be a huge wedge between us"

"You'd still be close with Mulciber and the others" she said, wrapping her arms around his waist, pulling herself close. Severus wrapped both his arms around her then, kissing her forehead gently. "It's scary to think how such small events could have changed our lives so much" she whispered. Severus agreed, the things they had changed had been small really, almost every day things at Hogwarts. But the ripples that followed had affected him a great deal. It was almost like looking a different person.

"It was certainly a wake-up call, seeing my life like that" he said to her.

"Do you think you were trying to warn yourself? Not to make those mistakes?" she asked.

"Possibly. But things have changed now. It makes me wonder how relevant other memories would be. If I've changed already, then how much of what happened in _that_ future, is going to happen again?"

"So, if more memories come through, you don't think they'll be accurate?" she asked.

"I don't know. I guess it depends what they are"

"Well, at least you're working with Dumbledore"

"Mmm, true" that was something. Dumbledore would view any of these memories that came to him, between them, they would keep working, keep trying to figure it all out. But it did make his head ache the more he thought about what was going on.

Severus didn't want to think about anything depressing anymore. He'd done enough of that this morning. He didn't want to think about his father and his black eye, he didn't want to think about Petunia spouting her venomous disapproval at them. He didn't want to think about the Marauders and the Slytherins making his life hell. He didn't want to think about death, war, the Dark Lord. He didn't want to think about Dumbledore poking around in his head, analysing his past and his future.

All Severus wanted to think about was the beautiful girl curled up in his arms, the softness of her skin as he trailed his fingers over her arm, the silkiness of her hair when he ran his fingers through it, the green of her eyes were she stared into his right to his soul, the feel of her lips as they moved against his.

Yes. He thought about kissing Lily passionately, so that was exactly what he did.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The next few weeks passed quickly, as the two teenagers fell into a new 'normal' away from Hogwarts. Lily spent near enough all day, every day with Severus, either at the park, or at her house, doing whatever they could to avoid Petunia.

Petunia seemed as intent as ever to tut disapprovingly at Lily and Severus whenever she ran across them, sure in her convictions that she was right - That Lily was a freak, and falling in love with another 'freak' was the worst possible crime. Throw in the fact that Tobias Snape was a poor excuse for a man, only cemented Petunia's belief further; Severus was bad news.

Thankfully, between Petunia going out to work, and visiting her own boyfriend, Lily didn't have to see her too often. But she suspected that when they _were_ all under the same roof, Petunia would be hovering nearby, spying, trying to catch them doing something they shouldn't. Something _indecent_. The fact that Severus had been nothing but a gentleman was not something that Petunia would either hear, or accept.

The weather over the previous few day had been clear and hot, and Lily and Severus had spent most of it in the shade under their favourite tree by the river. Most of their discussions revolved around Severus' dreams. His memories. What would he do next? What would Dumbledore do? When would Dumbledore be coming to visit. The two of them ran through any number of theories over and over again, getting more elaborate as time went on. And she was positive they were all wrong.

This morning too, had started out bright and sunny, but from beneath their tree they could see the clouds bubbling up, the humidity rising as the day progressed. A storm was definitely coming.

"I think we should get going, Sev" Lily told him as the sky got progressively darker, "Come on, we can go back to my house and get some lunch"

"Are you sure your Mum won't mind?" he asked, an uncertain expression on his face.

"No of course she won't" she assured him. Fat drops of rain started pattering around on the dry ground.

"I think we're going to get wet" he told her matter-of-fact

"Maybe we should just make a run for it then" she told him. It wasn't that far to her house, but the way the rain was building, they were definitely going to be drenched by the time they got there. A peel of thunder rumbled through the air, as the rain came down even faster.

"Definitely. Let's go" Severus said, quickly grabbing her hand as they sprinted away together. A flash of lightning and another rumble of thunder disturbed the air as they turned the corner. Lily kept a firm hold of Severus' hand as they ran through the puddles that had appeared so suddenly in the downpour.

Finally bursting through the front door of her house, Lily couldn't help laughing at the sight of Severus, hair plastered to his head, raindrops running off the end of his nose, clothes stuck to his skin. Severus raised an eyebrow at her outburst, before he laughed at her appearance. She knew she looked just as bedraggled as he did.

"Oh my goodness, you two look like drowned rats!" he mother exclaimed as she dashed towards them.

"It's raining" Lily said seriously, though her lips twitched as she caught Severus smirking out the corner of her eye.

"Really? I never would have guessed" her mother said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the drenched teenagers, as another rumble of thunder echoed outside. "Upstairs, both of you. You need to dry off." Lily raised an eyebrow in question but started to head up the stairs as she was told, Severus following her, her mother following Severus. "Wait there for a moment, you two" she instructed as they reached the landing.

Lily's Mum went to her own room, emerging again a minute later, handing Severus a towel and some dry clothing that was obviously her father's.

"In there" she told Severus, pointing towards the bathroom, "Straight downstairs when you're done"

"Yes, Mrs Evans" he replied, nodding as he disappeared behind the door.

"I'm sure you can find your own things, Lily" her mother said, raising an eyebrow, "In your room. Straight back downstairs when you're changed"

"Yes, Mum" she replied, trying not to laugh. Lily quickly towelled her hair, peeling off her soggy clothes and finding something dry and comfortable to lounge around in. The rain was still pouring down, and flashes of lightning still lit the sky every few minutes, so she suspected they would be inside for the remainder of the day. Most likely under her mother's supervision, making it difficult to discuss most things relating to Hogwarts - apart from their homework anyway.

When Lily was finally done and back downstairs, Severus was already at the table, cup of tea freshly made, another one at the place beside him, ready for her. Her mother busying about the kitchen making sandwiches for them all, taking care of them while she had the chance, while they were home from Hogwarts. The summer would pass quickly and they would be back to school before they knew it.

Lily dropped down into the chair beside Severus, taking a sip of the tea her mother had placed there for her. Severus reached over to cover her hand with his own, and she turned to face him with a bright smile. He was smiling too, which was nice, he seemed amused by her mother's fussing about, but he accepted it all the same. At least it meant he was out of harms way here, he didn't have to be in the same house as his father. The black eye he'd received on his first night home had healed now, and no fresh marks had appeared on him. At least not anywhere she could see. He assured her there hadn't been any additional confrontations, but it didn't stop her worrying that there wouldn't be, or that there had been and he hadn't told her. She still didn't know if he'd have told her about the first night if the bruising hadn't been in such an obvious and visible place.

Lily's mother placed plates of sandwiches in front of them both, encouraging them to tuck in. They both obeyed without a word, eating in silence as her mother pottered around them, quietly tidying various odds and ends around the kitchen, moving from job to job, humming to herself as she went.

"Let's go in the living room" Lily said once they had finished with their lunches. Severus nodded and followed her to place his empty cup and plate in the sink, before they made their way through. They both sank onto the comfortable sofa, Lily snuggled closer to Severus to make herself comfortable. Severus leaned back against the plush cushions, wrapping an arm around her to hold her close. Noticing her mother wasn't in the room with them, Lily leaned in close to Severus, kissing him gently before pulling away with a contented sigh. He smiled as she cozied up to him, wrapping an arm around his waist, her head on his chest listening to the thudding of his heart.

Severus stroked her hair, running his fingers through the soft waves before dropping his hand to her shoulder, holding her tight against him. It felt wonderful, cocooned like this, safe from everything in his arms. Between the noise of the rain on the window, the reassuring sound of his heartbeat in her ear, the steady rise and fall of his chest, it was hard to keep her eyes open. So Lily decided to stop fighting it, and let her eyes close.

...

Severus heard knocking, not entirely sure if it was happening in his dreams or in reality. He heard muffled voices, a man and a woman talking. Quietly. Softly. The voices were familiar, not threatening ones, so he didn't feel the need to jump up straight away. His senses slowly coming back to him as the seconds wore on. There was a warm weight on his chest, and a familiar scent in his nostrils. He could hear the voices more clearly now. Mrs Evans. Why was Lily's mother in the same room as him as he woke up?

And the other voice? Well, that was impossible, surely. Dumbledore? He peeked an eye open cautiously. Then the other. Sure enough, Mrs Evans and his Headmaster were standing in the room, watching over the sleeping teenagers. Dumbledore had an amused twinkle in his eye as he took in the scene. Severus blinked, glancing down to see Lily, fast asleep, her head on his chest, arm draped across his waist. Severus felt himself flush, worried what the two adults thought of their behaviour, not that he thought they'd done anything wrong.

"Good afternoon, Mr Snape" Dumbledore greeted cheerily

"Good afternoon, Sir" he replied quietly, still confused as to why the Headmaster was here. Was he here to see him? Or Lily? Why would he need to see Lily?

"I thought it was time for us to _catch up_ , Severus. There are a few things I wish to discuss with you, if you don't mind" he told him.

"Now?"

"I think the two of us should take a little walk" he told him. Severus nodded, looking down at his sleeping friend.

"Lily" he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder

"Hmm?" she frowned.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I need to go now" he said gently, watching her face as her eyes opened to find his.

"Already?" she asked, before realising that they were not alone. "Mum!" she exclaimed as a soft blush crept over her cheeks, "Headmaster!"

"My apologies, Miss Evans. I need to borrow Mr Snape for a while" Dumbledore explained. Lily nodded as she sat herself up fully, pulling herself away from Severus.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lily" he told her, squeezing her hand as he stood from the sofa, moving to lead the Headmaster out of the house. "Goodbye, Mrs Evans, thank you for lunch" he said politely on his way past.

"No problem, dear. See you tomorrow" she replied.

The Headmaster followed Severus out of the house after bidding a polite farewell to both Lily and Mrs Evans.

"How did you know I was there, Sir?" Severus asked as they reached the end of the street.

"A hunch, Severus" he answered, though probably not completely truthfully. "Where would you like to go, Severus? To talk" Dumbledore asked him. Severus thought. Definitely not his house, regardless of who might be home at this time of day.

"This way" Severus answered, leading the way to the park, the storm had cleared while he had slept, and the smell of wet grass permeated their surroundings. The Headmaster followed him in silence until they reached their favoured spot by the river. Dumbledore paused, glancing carefully at the surroundings before conjuring a bench for them to sit on.

"You come here often, Severus?" Dumbledore asked as he sat on the newly appeared bench.

"Yes, Sir," Severus nodded "Me and Lily come here most days. It's peaceful here" he explained as he took a seat beside the Headmaster.

"There is something I need to discuss with you prior to your return in September, Severus"

"Oh?" Severus asked, frowning.

"I am concerned for your safety, particularly around the other Slytherins" Dumbledore began.

"What would you suggest, Sir?"

"I am proposing we move you, to your own room, away from the dungeons" he explained, "Professor Slughorn does not believe you would wish to be separated from your fellow Slytherins." Severus met the Headmasters eyes with a raised eyebrow

"I don't think Professor Slughorn realises how bad it gets in Slytherin, Sir" Severus said quietly.

"If you have your own, I do believe you would be much safer, not have to worry about your dorm mates searching your things without your knowledge or consent" Dumbledore told him.

"Or have to worry about being caught off guard" Severus added.

"Or risk them over hearing, should another memory come to you in a dream" Dumbledore added to the list. Severus nodded. As far as he was aware, he didn't talk in his sleep, but that wasn't to say he never would.

"You think these memories are going to keep coming through to me then, Sir?" Severus asked. The Headmaster sighed.

"I cannot say for sure, Severus. I believe it best to behave as though they will continue to keep coming through, for now at least." Severus nodded again. It made sense really. He'd had a gap of several weeks before when they had stopped, before another came through. Who knew if, or when, another would.

"Have you had any more memories come through to you, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, Sir. Not since that last one I showed you" he answered, "What if another one comes through over the holidays?"

"I will be back to see you in a couple of weeks. We can discuss any memories then, if indeed any have come through" he replied. Severus nodded. So it seemed Dumbledore expected more to come to him, but then, he expected that himself. "Plus, I want you to think about moving to your own room" Dumbledore added. Severus agreed, he wouldn't complain about not having to sleep in the same room as Mulciber and the others.

"I think moving is for the best, Sir" he answered.

"Well, if you change your mind, you can always move back to the dorm" Dumbledore told him.

"What about Lily's safety, Sir?" he asked. That was a bigger concern to him than anything else. She'd already been attacked by those scumbags and he wouldn't put it passed them to try something again. Dumbledore sighed.

"We will continue to keep a close eye on them, Severus"

"We did notice there always seemed to be someone nearby during that last week. Thought I was being paranoid" Severus told him.

"No, not paranoid. Other than punishing offenders when an incident has taken place, it is difficult. Myself and the other Professors will continue to watch closely and intervene whenever necessary" Dumbledore explained.

"And Potter and Black?" Severus questioned.

"Again, we will watch and intervene." Severus nodded. It was the best he could hope for really, they couldn't be punished until they'd actually _done_ something. Severus just hoped they would be stopped before they did it, or at least that the punishments would start getting stronger and hopefully discourage them from attempting anything in the first place. "I believe we should leave it there for today, Severus" Dumbledore told him, rising from the bench.

Severus stood too, allowing the Headmaster to vanish the conjured bench.

"I shall see you again in a couple of weeks" he told him, inclining his head in farewell. Severus watched as Dumbledore looked around, ensuring they were still alone, before disapparating, presumably returning to Hogwarts.

Severus sighed, shuffling his feet in the grass as he made his way back to the road. Deciding that he probably should return to his own house. His father shouldn't be home at this time of day, though he had no idea how his mother would be. It was hit and miss as to whether he got a conversation out of her. Sometimes she would cower away from him, as if worried he would lash out like his father, sometimes she ignored him completely. And rarely, she would actually ask questions, and respond with interest to the things he told her. He hadn't told her about the nightmares. The memories. He had no idea how she would respond. He hadn't told her about the bullying antics of either the Marauders or the Slytherins, there was no point really. She couldn't help him. All they would achieve is wallowing in self pity, and he didn't need that. He needed to be stronger than that.

Finally home, he opened the door quietly. Cautiously. Shutting it with a soft 'click' once he was inside.

"Why did the Headmaster need to see you, Severus?" his mother asked as he stepped into the hallway _. Ah, so he'd come here before finding him at Lily's._

"Mother?"

"I'm sure the Headmaster is not paying a visit to every student of his. What did you do?" she asked, frowning at him.

"I haven't _done_ anything, mother. I was having some private lessons with him towards the end of term, he wanted to make sure I was practicing" he half-lied.

"You can't do magic away from school, Severus. You haven't been _practicing_ anything" she reasoned.

"I have homework for all subjects. The private lessons are more like 'meditation'. And yes, I have been practicing" he told her. She didn't look convinced.

"Is that all" she asked suspiciously.

"Not entirely, though that was a large part of it," he began "I had a disagreement with some of my dorm mates towards the end of term. Dumbledore believes it will continue after the summer and wanted to discuss moving me out of the Slytherin dorm" he explained.

"Will it continue?" she asked.

"Most likely. They're idiots" he told her, "He will be coming again, in a couple of weeks." His mother turned away then, retreating back in to her own world. She didn't ask what the disagreement was about, or who instigated it. Or whether he was even at fault. The little bit of conversation they'd had was clearly over. So with that, he continued to make his way up the stairs to his room, to flop onto his bed. Really, he wanted to go back to Lily's, to fill her in on the Headmaster's visit, but he couldn't spend every minute of every day there, no matter how welcoming Mrs Evans was. He would see Lily again tomorrow, and discuss it all with her then.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

 _"You are late, Severus" the cold voice cut through the air. Quiet. Dangerous._

 _"My Lord" Severus dropped to one knee before the Dark Lord. Waiting. He knew he would be punished for his lateness in responding._

 _"Two hours ago, I summoned my Death Eaters. Two hours" the Dark Lord stated calmly. Severus kept his head dipped, couldn't make eye contact, not yet. He had to be convincing. "Crucio" the Dark Lord whispered menacingly, aiming his wand at the kneeling Death Eater. Pain tore through every fibre of his body, every nerve on fire as the Dark Lord held the Unforgivable Curse, letting Severus know his anger at being ignored. Severus grunted, using all his self-control not to give in to the pain, not to cry out. Just as suddenly, the Curse was lifted and the cloud of pain started to dissipate._

 _"On your feet" the Dark Lord commanded. Severus hurried to obey, taking deep breaths to steady himself, "I believed you to have left my service, Severus. You know what would happen if that was the case"_

 _"My Lord, I have not left your service. Never" Severus tried to assure his old master._

 _"I have heard from the others that you never went to Azkaban. That you have worked closely, with Dumbledore" he spat out the name as if it tasted foul._

 _"My Lord, I have kept myself close to the old man in your absence. Gathering information, should you return. Your last instruction to myself was to take up the position of Potions Master at Hogwarts, to spy on Albus Dumbledore. This I have done" Severus explained calmly._

 _"Then, he truly believes you to be loyal to him?" the Dark Lord questioned._

 _"He does, my Lord. He has taken me into his confidence" Severus assured him._

 _"Dumbledore believed I would return?" the Dark Lord asked curiously._

 _"He suspected so, my Lord. So I held my position to await your return"_

 _"He was right to suspect, Severus. I have taken steps to protect myself. I have gone further down the road to immortality than any wizard has ever dared to venture" he explained casually. "Yet, in thirteen years, you never sought me out yourself" he added, turning his gaze upon Severus once more._

 _"I believed it would be of more use to gather information, my Lord. To keep myself close to Dumbledore" Severus continued. The Dark Lord eyed him curiously, as if he were still undecided._

 _"And you did not help Quirrell obtain the Philosopher's Stone?" he questioned._

 _"I did not, my Lord. Something I deeply regret. When I learned after the event it was yourself, well I only wish I had known then"_

 _"Mmm. Perhaps I should have revealed myself to you. Quirrell was mediocre at best, and not at all suitable, unfortunately" the Dark Lord added, thinking over that fiasco._

 _"I understand why you did not reveal yourself then, my Lord. I only wish it could have been different"_

 _"Yes. Very well, Severus" dismissing this line of enquiry. "Will Dumbledore be calling upon the Order?" he asked._

 _"He has begun to gather his former Order members already, my Lord" Severus informed him._

 _"Has he requested your presence among them, Severus?"_

 _"He has asked me to join the Order of the Phoenix, my Lord. He believes I would be well placed to act as his spy" Severus informed him with a raised eyebrow, trying to convey a certain level of amusement at the idea. The Dark Lord laughed, low and menacing._

 _"Excellent, Severus. That is very fortunate indeed" the Dark Lord locked eyes with Severus, pushing his way into Severus' mind, a crude attempt to catch him off guard, to ensure that Severus was giving him the truth regarding his loyalties. Severus was prepared, careful to show him what he was looking for, tucking away any incriminating memories._

 _Obviously satisfied, the Dark Lord withdrew from Severus' mind with a grin_

 _"Continue with your task, Severus" the Dark Lord instructed, "You will take your place in Dumbledore's Order, keep watch over the old man and his precious Harry Potter. The boy will not be my end. It is only a matter of time before I destroy him. That is clear, Severus. You must not harm him yourself, the boy must be destroyed by no one other than myself" the Dark Lord told him carefully._

 _"Of course, my Lord" Severus acknowledged, respectfully dipping his head to his supposed Master._

 _"Very good. Now, return to Hogwarts" he ordered calmly._

 _"As you command, my Lord" Severus stated, turning to make his way back out of the Manor, back to Hogwarts. Back to Dumbledore, to let the Headmaster know he has been accepted back into the Circle. The Dark Lord believed him to be his trusty spy, exactly as they had planned._

...

Severus sat at the small table in the kitchen, opposite his mother, sipping his tea in silence. Not a sound in the house, apart from the faint ticking of a clock in the hallway. Severus was confused. Another memory, after more than a month without seeing something new. But this one raised more questions than any of the others he had seen.

It wasn't something that would happen for a long time, Severus appeared much older than he was now. And Voldemort had apparently been absent and presumed dead for thirteen years. Yet it seemed he had found a way to return from death, taking steps to render himself immortal - surely those were plans he was putting into place _now_ while the War was taking place.

On the surface, it looked as though Severus was a Death Eater, but the feelings that came along with the memory showed his allegiance was not there at all. He was there to _spy_ on Voldemort. Which raised so many other questions - was he genuinely ever a Death Eater? The feelings he'd got when he saw himself take the Mark would suggest that he had been. But was it possible he had always been a spy? It would genuinely be an advantage for Dumbledore to have eyes and ears in the Dark Lord's ranks, but Severus didn't want to be that. He didn't want to be like _them_ , even if it was an act. And surely that would put Lily in an enormous amount of danger, a Death Eater could not be associated with a Muggleborn. There couldn't even be a suspicion. No, he couldn't be a spy.

Right now, more than anything, he wished he knew when Dumbledore would return, he needed to show him this 'memory'. He needed to make sense of it all.

Severus kept huffing and sighing, frowning at the drink in front of him as he kept mulling over the events that had played out in his sleep.

"What is the matter, Severus?" his mother asked quietly

"Nothing" he replied, feeling his mother's eyes on him.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Just a weird dream. That's all" he stated, not wishing to discuss it with her.

"What are your plans for today?" she asked. That was unusual, she rarely asked him anything.

"Going to Lily's. We need to make a start on our Charms homework" he told her. He looked at her, to see her give a half-hearted nod, before she turned her attention to her own tea.

Severus quickly finished his drink, heading upstairs to retrieve his text book, parchment and quill. They had spent some time working, they'd already completed their Potions and Defence essays, Charms would be done today, before moving on to Transfiguration next week. He hoped that he would have some time alone with Lily to discuss the dream he'd had. As the summer had gone on, Mrs Evans had left them alone for longer periods of time, but she obviously not entirely trusting of two sixteen year olds.

With the necessary items safely in his bag, Severus headed back down the stairs, saying a quick 'Goodbye' to his mother, without getting a reply, and left his miserable house to make the short walk to see Lily.

...

Lily sat at the table waiting. Books and parchment scattered around. Today was a day they had set aside to work on one of their assignments, aiming to complete one a week instead of cramming them all together.

A knock at the door had Lily rushing to answer, she knew who would be on the other side.

"Good morning, Sev" she greeted brightly as she saw him, moving aside to let him in.

"Good morning" he replied as the door closed, dropping his bag to loop his arms around her waist, pulling her into a tight embrace, his lips finding hers as she gripped his shoulder to steady herself.

"Mum's upstairs" she whispered as she reluctantly pulled herself away. He smiled and nodded, letting her go to retrieve his bag. It was definitely difficult having her mother hovering nearby all the time, but she understood why she did it.

The two teenagers made their way through the house, back to the kitchen table to take their usual seats. Lily stacked her books into one neat pile, making room for Severus to put his own things out.

"I had another one last night" he said quietly as he set down his book.

"Another memory?" she asked, surprised by his statement, it had been weeks since the last one. "What happened?"

"It's the most confusing one yet" he admitted, meeting her gaze, "It involved You-Know-Who" he began. Lily drew in a deep breath.

"Is it something that's going to happen soon?"

"No, not for a while, maybe twenty years or so. I looked a lot older than I do now, but I don't know what year it was. One of the things he said to me is that he had returned after being presumed dead for thirteen years" he told her. She guessed she looked as confused as he did.

"So, if he was talking to you, you were a Death Eater then?" she asked.

"Well that's the thing. It looked like I was a Death Eater, but I don't think I was 'really'. I think I was working for Dumbledore. Spying. You-Know-Who only _thought_ I was working for him" he explained.

"Well that's certainly complicated" she said, shaking her head, "Do you think you were spying the whole time?" she asked, that was certainly a far better thought than him genuinely being a murderous Death Eater.

"I honestly don't know. I don't think so. That first night the dreams started, I saw myself begging Dumbledore for help, and he was aware that I was a Death Eater" he said sadly.

"Oh" she said, her face falling in disappointment. "Why did you need his help?" she asked, he hadn't told her the details of all the dreams he'd had. She wasn't sure if he would tell her at all.

"To protect you, Lily" he said, looking away

"Me? Because I'm Muggleborn?" she asked. Surely all Muggleborns would be targets regardless, he would have known that before signing up with them. She watched him closely as he shook his head.

"No. Your son. The real target was your son. He believed your son would be the one to destroy him, so wanted to remove him as a threat while he was still an infant" he explained quietly. Lily stared at him, mouth open in shock. What could she say to that? He'd never mentioned a child before.

"You turned spy so Dumbledore would protect me and my son? He wouldn't have protected us otherwise?" that hardly seemed fair. Surely being on the side of light should have offered her some protection from Dumbledore without Severus acting as spy.

"I don't know, Lily" he whispered, "But turning spy was the right thing to do, wasn't it?" he asked, looking her right in the eye again.

"You're not thinking of joining _just_ to spy, are you?" she asked him sharply, she knew how his mind worked. She knew he would do it if it meant she would be safe.

"No, Lily. I don't think it would be a good idea" he told her. Well, that was good, she really didn't want him pretending to be like that, it was too risky. Too dangerous. And she already knew that both of them ended up murdered by Voldemort anyway, so repeating some of the things he'd seen wouldn't be the best idea. What would be the point in letting things happen as they appeared in his dreams, they'd already done what they could to alter their reality as events cropped up.

"When is Dumbledore coming to see you again?" she asked him.

"I don't know. I wish I did though. I can give him this memory and he can take a look, see if he can understand it" he told her. Lily nodded.

"Maybe these memories will give Dumbledore some useful information about You-Know-Who. Almost like spying on him from afar, without having to actually put yourself face to face with him" she told him. He smiled then.

"Definitely safer this way. There was something interesting, that he said"

"You-Know-Who?"

"Yes" he nodded, "he said that he'd 'gone further down the road to immortality than any wizard had ever dared to venture'"

"He's trying to make himself immortal?" she asked. That was a terrifying thought.

"It seemed that way. And if he is, it must be something he's working on now, or he has done it already"

"How can anyone make himself immortal?"

"I have no idea, Lily. I wish I did. For the first time, I'm really hoping that more of these memories come through. Maybe it will give Dumbledore some clues to take him down" he told her.

"So, whatever he's done to stop himself dying, needs to be undone before he can be got rid of?" she asked, otherwise any 'death' he suffered would surely only be temporary, a delay. The Wizarding world would never truly be free from his terror if he could keep bringing himself back. Severus merely nodded. For once, she agreed with him, hoped that more memories would come to him, and they would be the key in helping Dumbledore get rid of Voldemort once and for all.

"Hello you two. It seems very serious in here" her mother stated as she wandered into the kitchen.

"It's nothing, Mrs Evans" Severus told her, obviously doing his best to sound reassuring. She didn't look convinced.

"Is everything ok?" she asked, shifting her gaze between the two of them.

"Everything's fine, Mum" Lily told her

"I've just been having some strange dreams, Mrs Evans. I was telling Lily about it" Severus told her, "But everything's fine"

"If you're sure" she said. The two friends nodded and smiled weakly, not planning on elaborating further. "Anyway, while you're both here, I need to talk to you" she sitting herself down at the table, "Don't worry, you're not in trouble" she said with a small chuckle, obviously seeing the scared looks on both of their faces. They both sighed in relief, "Petunia wants to have her boyfriend round for dinner, and I'd like you two to be there if you don't mind" her mother explained. Lily's jaw dropped again, she'd rather be in trouble than put herself and Severus through dinner with Petunia and her boyfriend.

"What has she told him, about me and Severus?" Lily asked, he couldn't know they were magical. Not yet. Not until they were getting married, _Uurghh_ she promptly shut down that line of thought. Severus eyed her uncomfortably.

"She is told to tell people that you go to a school for gifted youngsters, he has already been told that. He will be told the same about you, Severus" she said, turning her attention to him. "I know it's difficult for you both. Please, both come" she asked. Lily nodded, she would have to be there regardless. She knew her sister would have told him they were _freaks_ , she made it clear that was what she thought.

"I'll come, Mrs Evans" Severus finally told her, offering a small smile. Her mother looked relieved to say the least.

"Thank you, both of you. I only hope _they_ will be on their best behaviour" she smiled, "I'll let the two of you get on with your homework then" she said, leaving the table and heading back off upstairs.

"Sorry, Sev" she whispered

"We'll survive" he told her, amused.

"Doesn't mean it's going to be fun" she said, "Or that we won't be called _freaks_ " she added.

"I've been called worse. And at least I'll be with you. We'll get each other through it" he told her, reaching for her hand. She smiled then. Yes, whatever happened, they would be together. They would face whatever darkness the Universe sent their way as a team, whether that darkness took the shape of a certain Dark Lord, or a Miss Petunia Evans and her obnoxious boyfriend.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Lily and Severus sat side by side on the sofa in Lily's house. Mrs Evans was busying herself in the kitchen, finishing preparations to the Sunday lunch that had been decided upon. Mr Evans sat in a comfortable armchair, silently watching the others. Petunia paced nervously, sighing impatiently as they waited for Vernon Dursley to arrive.

Every so often Petunia would stop pacing to either peek out the net curtains to see if her boyfriend had arrived, or to glare at Lily and Severus. Lily and Severus remained silent, resolutely ignoring her stares, refusing to rise to her, to get drawn into an argument. When Petunia had wanted her boyfriend to come for dinner, she'd meant for Lily and Severus to be absent, as far away from the house as possible for the duration, and avoid making uncomfortable introductions. She'd made her displeasure at their presence well known, and Lily worried that a conflict was coming, regardless of how pleasant she was herself.

"He'll be here any minute" Petunia snapped as she stopped in front of Lily and Severus yet again, hands on hips as if lecturing naughty toddlers.

"We know, Tuney" Lily answered calmly, taking deep breaths.

"And stop calling me 'Tuney'" she barked at her.

"Fine, _Petunia"_ Lily acknowledged.

"And _no_ freaky business from either of you"

"Exactly what 'freaky business' do you think we're going to engage in over Sunday lunch, Petunia?" Severus asked her, sounding part amused, part annoyed.

"You know exactly what I mean" she said, glaring at him.

"Have you ever seen either of us do anything 'freaky'?" Lily asked her sister. Petunia didn't answer, unsurprisingly. "We're not allowed to do magic outside of school until we're seventeen, you already know that" she explained calmly. Petunia had been told that enough times, yet she still behaved as though she would be turned into a frog any moment.

"And we're not discussing magic, or Hogwarts, with a Muggle" Severus added, "It's not allowed"

"Well, I have to hear about it and I'm a _Muggle_. I don't want to bloody hear about it!"she yelled.

"We don't talk about it with you, Petunia" Lily argued, "You _know_ about it, there is a difference" she added. Petunia huffed angrily.

"Well, I don't want either of you ruining this" she said before turning her attention solely to Severus, "And I don't see why _you_ have to be here" she sneered

"Petunia!" her father snapped

"I am here because your mother kindly invited me" he stated calmly, reaching for Lily's hand. Petunia continued glaring at the two of them, face slowly turning red in her silent fury.

A sudden knock at the door snapped everyone to attention, Lily and Severus sitting up straighter, apprehension hitting them.

"I'll get it" Petunia muttered, plastering on a fake smile as she hurried out the room to let him in. Lily's father stood, preparing himself to meet the boyfriend they'd all heard so much about.

"Let's get this over with" Lily whispered quietly to Severus, who merely smiled and squeezed her hand. Her father obviously heard, shooting her a pretend annoyed look, before smiling. Nobody was looking forward to this in the slightest.

Petunia made her way back into the living room, a rather large 'boy' waddling in behind her, both with sickening smiles on their faces, neither of which looked genuine.

"Vernon, this is my father, Richard Evans" Petunia said lightly, indicating to where her father stood. Vernon nodded politely and shook his hand as her mother came through from the kitchen. "Ah, this is my mother, Heather Evans" she said as Vernon's attention was drawn to her mother. "Mummy, Daddy, this is Vernon Dursley" she informed them with a giddy smile.

"Pleased to meet you Vernon, come in, take a seat" her mother welcomed.

"Very pleased to meet you too, Mr Evans, Mrs Evans" he responded, quickly doing as instructed, heading to the other armchair, squashing himself in. Glancing around the room, his gaze settled on Lily and Severus, his smile faltering as he noticed them.

"Ah, Vernon," Petunia began, "This is my sister, Lily. And her, er... friend, Severus" she informed him.

" _Friend?"_ Vernon enquired

"Friend, yes. And boyfriend" Lily replied with a smile.

"Ah." Vernon replied. _Oh yes, smart one, this one,_ Lily thought to herself. "I didn't know you had a sister, Petunia" he stated.

"Oh, really?" Lily asked, "How long have you been together?" she asked innocently.

"Oh, erm, about six months I think" he replied. Hmm, six months and he had no idea she existed, not that she was surprised, Lily guessed Petunia had wanted to keep her freak of a sister a secret wherever possible.

"Yes, well, it hadn't really come up" Petunia told her with a forced smile. _Oh really?_

"Now everyone, why don't you come through to the table, I'm about to start serving up the lunch" her mother said, obviously hoping the conversation would improve.

As instructed, everyone followed her mother to the table, Lily and Severus sitting as far away from Petunia and Vernon as possible. Lily's mother started passing plates of food around and all gave their thanks as they accepted, and began to eat.

"So how old are you two then?" Vernon asked with a suspicious frown as his eyes moved between Lily and Severus.

"We're both sixteen, Vernon" Lily answered politely.

"And both still at school, I take it?" he asked

"Yes, we're both at school, we have two years of our formal education left" Severus answered this time, just as politely as she had done. Lily glanced around the table cautiously, Petunia was still glaring, and her mother looked nervous.

"And what about you, Vernon?" her father asked, "What do you do?"

"I already told you all about Vernon, Daddy" Petunia giggled, "He's going to be very successful" she boasted, giving Severus a pointed look.

"Is that so" her father stated.

"I intend to be successful, Mr Evans. I'm currently working at a local firm, but I've applied to several other companies. Larger companies, with much better prospects" he informed them all with a large, self-satisfied grin. Ah, so nothing _real_ then, just dreams and plans. Petunia looked at him approvingly.

"So how did you two meet?" Lily asked, doing her best to be polite and at least feign an interest in her sister and the beast beside her as he shovelled his lunch in.

"At the cafe I work in at the weekends" Petunia told her coolly, "Not that you know about _work_ " she added.

"Well, being at boarding school makes it a bit tricky holding down a job, Petunia" Lily replied through gritted teeth and a fake smile.

"Boarding school?" Vernon spluttered.

"Ah yes, Vernon" Petunia began, "Lily has to go to a 'special' school so she doesn't interrupt the learning of _normal_ children" she said spitefully.

"Now that's not true" Severus snapped, not liking the insinuation any more than she did.

"Yes it is. That's why you both go there. To keep you away from the _normal_ people"

"We _are_ normal" Lily snapped now

"Ah, they're like _that_ , are they?" Vernon asked, giving them both a look somewhere between pity and disgust.

"Now that's enough" Lily's mother told them all, "Lily and Severus both go to a boarding school for gifted children. They are both highly talented and intelligent" she added, keeping her eyes on Petunia.

"So, they're not mentally deficient, or criminals or something, then?" Vernon asked, still looking unconvinced.

"Probably" Petunia muttered

"Petunia! That's enough" her father warned. All six seemed to fall back into an uneasy silence, turning their attentions back to the lunches in front of them. Nobody seemed sure what to talk about next.

"So, Vernon, do you have any siblings?" her mother asked.

"Er, yes. I have a sister, Marge" he answered, "What about you, Severus?"

"No, just me" he answered, not taking his eyes off the table.

"Hmm. It's a bit of an unusual name, isn't it?" Vernon asked.

"What is?" Lily asked.

"Severus. It's not exactly _normal_ , is it?"

"So?" Severus asked, finally looking at him.

"Don't you think it's going to be a problem? To get anywhere in life, you need a good, _normal_ , name"

"I don't have a problem with my name" Severus informed him calmly

"Neither do I" Lily added, glancing at the boy beside her.

"Do you have plans for the future then, Severus?" Vernon asked, clearly attempting to achieve some sort of level of superiority.

"Of course I have plans" Severus bristled.

"Oh? Care to share?" Vernon asked. Lily and Severus shared a glance.

"Chemistry. I intend to go into research" Severus informed him. Lily smiled. Well, they couldn't exactly say 'Potions' over Sunday lunch.

"Ah, well I daresay that would be worthwhile" Vernon accepted grudgingly, " You'd have to do something about the hair though" he added. Clearly Vernon was as critical as Petunia and it was all being directed at Severus.

"There's nothing wrong with my bloody hair!" Severus snapped. Petunia smirked, as Vernon pushed Severus' buttons.

"Well, it is a bit 'freakish' don't you think?" Petunia asked smugly.

"That's enough Petunia, really" her mother admonished. Petunia sat back in her seat, arms folded across her chest. Lily did likewise. Vernon continued shovelling food into his enormous mouth. Severus gripped his knife and fork, looking as though he was itching to reach for his wand.

Finally, Vernon was finished and Lily and Petunia helped their mother clear the plates from the table, making room for Mrs Evans to serve the dessert.

Lily sat back next to Severus, resting her hand on his knee, glancing at his face as she did. Poor Severus looked about ready to explode, and was doing his best to keep it under control. Unfortunately, Petunia also seemed to pick up on this fact too, and the smug expression on her face let everyone know she was about to start again.

"Personally, I think the name with be a bigger problem than his hair" Petunia began. She heard Severus take a deep breath.

"Petunia" her mother warned.

"We've already told you, there's nothing wrong with the name 'Severus'" Lily said calmly, trying to keep her own growing rage under control.

"You know that's not what I meant" Petunia smirked, "'Snape'. Everyone wound here knows about 'him', and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" she trilled. Severus pushed himself back from the table.

"If you'll excuse me, I think I'll be leaving now. Thank you for dinner Mrs Evans, Mr Evans" he said

"You don't have to go, Severus dear" her mother told him. Severus shook his head.

"That you, but I could do with some fresh air" he said, walking out of the room to the front door.

"I'm going with him" Lily told her parents, who simply nodded. She didn't say another word to either Petunia or Vernon as she left, catching up with Severus as he opened to door to leave. She slipped her hand into his as they left the house, quickly walking away from the scene. Lily could feel his tension, his anger and upset at being made the target yet again. Same shit, different day.

They didn't speak until they reached their spot, once there, he quickly wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into a tight embrace. Lily responded immediately, wrapping her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. She could hear his heart pounding as he tried to calm himself.

"I cannot believe those two" Lily whispered angrily.

"Yes, you can. Did you really expect any different from Petunia?" he asked. Lily sighed, no, she hadn't expected different. She just hadn't realised they would be quite so offensive.

"They're both full of shit, you know" she snapped. Lily saw the corner of his mouth twitch, probably at her profanity, it wasn't often that she swore.

"Oh, I know. And it's probably a good thing we can't do magic outside of school" he said, fairly calmly. Definitely, she would have happily hexed the pair of them.

"Hmm" she answered, trying not to smile, she was still mad at them. "You know my parents like you, right?" she said, reassuring him. He nodded.

"I like them too, they're good people" he said. Lily nodded.

"You don't have to change yourself, you know. Whatever they say"

"Not even the hair?" he asked with a grin

"No, I like it" she told him, removing her arms from his waist to reach up, running her fingers through the thick, dark hair, "I like to do this" she told him, unable to ignore how close their faces were, noses almost touching as his eyes searched hers.

"I like that too" he told her, closing the gap between their lips, breaking the tension that had settled between them. Severus' hands moved over her waist and back, holding her close against him as their lips moved eagerly over each others. She felt her back hit the tree before she'd even realised she was moving. Severus' weight pinning her there as his hands roamed along her side, her hips, his lips leaving hers to place kisses along her neck. Lily tugged him back up, to greet him with another kiss, the air around them seemingly charged. Their kisses continued, passionate, lingering, becoming soft and gentle, as they enjoyed each other's company for what remained of the afternoon.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The summer was passing quickly, or so it seemed. When they first arrived home, it felt like two months would last forever, now there was only two weeks until they would be taking the train back to Hogwarts. And as ever, that left Severus with mixed feelings. For the most part, he couldn't wait, eager to get away from his depressing house as soon as possible. Though in actuality, he'd spent very little time there, apart from to sleep, and he'd hardly seen his father. Both men seeming equally determined to avoid each other, or more likely, pretend the other did not exist. He didn't know if he would miss his mother, he highly doubted she would miss him. He wouldn't miss her unpredictable responses, that much he was sure of.

What he would miss, was having Lily pretty much to himself, though he knew once they were back at Hogwarts it would probably be easier to spend time alone somewhere, and Mrs Evans definitely wouldn't be hovering around nearby making sure they were behaving. In a way it was amusing, she'd never been like that with them before, but then again, he hadn't been her boyfriend before. And they hadn't been sixteen.

He was looking forward to moving into his own room when he returned, he'd always valued his privacy, preferring solitude to noisy meetings with a group of boys. And he definitely wanted to keep as far away from the Slytherins as possible, they would either try and talk to him with their own agenda - getting him on their side - or they would pick up where they left off in June when his relationship with Lily was made apparent. The distance would definitely help keep the hexing to a minimum. Then there was the Marauders... What joy.

Today though, he would forget all that. Mr Evans was taking himself and Lily to Diagon Alley. Lily needed new text books and supplies, and he didn't technically _need_ anything, he was more than happy to accompany her. At the very least he would be keeping an eye out for any trouble, they had no idea who else would be there after all.

Severus, Lily and Mr Evans quickly made their way through the Leaky Cauldron, Severus taking the lead, keeping a firm hold of Lily's hand. Once in the courtyard, Severus tapped the bricks to reveal the entrance through to the magical alley. First stop, Gringott's. My Evans needed to exchange the Muggle money for the gold required to shop amongst wizards, and Severus too, had a small amount to exchange, a little bit his mother had managed to hide from his father so he could at least top up a few supplies.

Money exchanged, the three of them made their way to Flourish and Blott's, text books for Lily first on the list. Severus and Lily making their way through the stacks to the ones she required. Slowly, the pile Severus carried grew bigger and bigger as she ticked each one off the little list she carried with her. Finally, the last one had been selected and she turned to face him, shocked to find that she could only just see his eyes peering over the top of the pile.

"Oh, Sev" she giggled, "I'm sorry, you should have said something" Severus shrugged (well as much as he could while laden down with a personal library's worth of books), smiling at his blushing girlfriend.

"It's fine, I don't mind" he tried to assure her.

"Such a gentleman" she commented, taking some of the books from him so could see his way to the tills more easily. Mr Evans found them as they joined the queue, ready to pay for Lily's items. Severus and Mr Evans carried the books between them once they were paid for, allowing Lily to lead the way to the next stop, list once again in one hand, the other linked with Severus' own.

And so the day continued, as they completed her shopping. Everything from robes and a new cloak, to potions supplies, parchment and fresh ink. Fortunately for Severus, he had enough money to refresh his supplies, though not enough for new robes. He didn't much care about that. Of course, he would have preferred to have new things, but he would make do, just as he had his whole life. One day, things would be different, when his education was over and he took his place in the Wizarding world, he would have his own money and be able to buy whatever he pleased - whether that be a wardrobe full of new robes, or shelves filled with books.

"Shall we get some ice cream?" Lily asked suddenly, pulling his from his musings.

"Definitely" he agreed, never one to turn down a trip to Fortescue's. Lily checked with her father that they had time for a trip to the ice cream parlour before they headed home. He readily agreed, allowing Lily and Severus to lead the way, and find a table outside in the sunshine.

Soon, the three of them were relaxing, tucking into their chosen sundaes and taking in the atmosphere of the busy street, watching as Wizarding families continued about their day, many of them getting their own supplies for their return to Hogwarts.

"Alright, Evans!" they heard Potter calling. Severus tensed in his seat, fighting the urge to reach for his wand. He saw Lily's shoulders drop as he made his way closer.

"What do you want, Potter?" she snapped, turning to face the intruder.

"So, how is your summer going?" he asked with a grin, ignoring her annoyance.

"Fine. Now, what do you want?" she asked again, still clearly annoyed. Severus put his ice cream down, expecting something to escalate. Potter was alone at the moment, but he would bet that Black would be appearing any second.

"Oh, you can do better than that" he smiled, "Are you having a good day?" he asked.

"We were, until we were interrupted so rudely" she snapped at him. Potter glanced at Lily's father, giving him a friendly smile and offering his hand.

"You must be Mr Evans, I'm James Potter, one of Lily's house mates. So very pleased to meet you" he said enthusiastically as Mr Evans shook the offered hand.

"Likewise" Mr Evans replies, though looked suspicious.

"Dad, could you give us a minute please" Lily asked, clearly she expected something too and wanted him out the way.

"I'll go and get us some drinks. You two will be ok?" he asked, looking between Lily and Severus. Lily nodded.

"We'll be fine, Mr Evans" Severus answered, keeping his eyes firmly on Potter.

"Alright, Snivellus?" Black called, wandering up to stand beside Potter.

"What do you both want?" Lily asked again.

"Just a friendly chat" Potter said, meeting Severus' stare. Within a second, the three boys had their wands in their hands, Severus was on his feet, Lily was reaching for her own wand. Severus tried to ignore the gasps from the surrounding tables as the boys eyed each other, and tried to keep his attention firmly on the two Marauders, waiting for them to make their next move.

"Expelliarmus!" Potter yelled, aiming his wand. Severus was ready, the first twitch of Potter's arm and he'd thrown up his own _Protego_ , Potter's spell bouncing off his shield. Before Potter had chance to recover and throw another spell, Severus threw a _Langlock_ at him, before sending the same Black's way for good measure, stopping them in their tracks as they frowned in confusion, in shock at their sudden loss of ability to talk. Potter stamped his foot, the anger radiating from him in waves as he attempted to make his way around the table.

"Serves you two right" Lily told them, "When will you get it through your thick heads, to leave us alone?" she asked angrily.

"Now then. What has happened to Mr's Potter and Black?" a familiar voice calmly asked them. Dumbledore. Talk about timing.

"Headmaster, we can explain" Lily said, looking a little worried at the Headmaster catching them in a confrontation in the Alley.

"Oh, I'm sure you can Miss Evans" he told her. Severus was sure he looked amused. "A silencing spell, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, turning his attention to him.

"Not quite, Sir" he admitted, trying his best not to smirk at Potter and Black, desperately trying to get Dumbledore's attention with a mixture of foot stamping, arm waving and growling as best they could without the use of their tongues. Mr Evans took that moment to return to the table, eyeing the larger group, all standing, wands in hands.

"What on Earth happened while I was gone, Lily?" he asked his daughter.

"Oh, er, just a disagreement, Dad" she told him quietly.

"Indeed?" Dumbledore asked amusedly, "Perhaps Mr Snape can lift those jinxes placed on Mr's Potter and Black?" he posed. Severus' shoulders dropped, he knew he would have to do as the Headmaster asked, though he wouldn't deny he was enjoying their discomfort immensely.

"Yes, Sir" he finally answered, aiming his wand at the boys almost lazily, removing the jinx and allowing them to talk once more. Potter and Black's voices came back at full volume, both boys shouting over each other about the unfairness, Snape was to blame, wanting punishment, and so it went on. Severus could have rolled his eyes. Dumbledore held up his hands to silence the boys.

"I would suggest that the two of you make more of an effort to keep well away from Mr Snape and Miss Evans" Dumbledore suggested.

"But, Sir!" Potter protested.

"Come on, Prongs" Black said, pulling him by the arm.

"See you at school, Evans" Potter called over his shoulder at Lily, shooting a glare at Severus before they headed out into the alley, disappearing among the other families.

Lily took a deep breath, taking her seat back at the table once more, Mr Evans following to take his own. Severus stayed standing, waiting for Dumbledore to demand an explanation, wondering how much of the altercation he'd witnessed.

"I wonder if I could borrow you for a few minutes, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

"Is Severus going to be in trouble, Sir?" Lily asked, "Because Potter stared it!" she added, looking worried.

"No, he's not in trouble, Miss Evans" he assured her with a smile, "Just one or two things I need to discuss, I'll return him to you shortly"

"Yes, Sir" Severus nodded, following the Headmaster away from Fortescue's to a secluded area. Dumbledore cast a privacy spell around them, preventing anyone from over hearing their conversation.

"So, what spell _did_ you use on them, Severus?" Dumbledore asked him curiously.

"Langlock, Sir. It glues the tongue to the roof of the mouth" he told him.

"Is this another of your creations?"

"Yes, Sir" he admitted.

"Most useful" he told him, looking almost approvingly at Severus.

"Yes, Sir. Especially if the one after you is not too proficient at non verbal spells" Severus told him.

"Indeed it is"

"Am I in trouble, Sir?" Severus asked cautiously, still not sure if he was or not.

"No, Severus. I did see the entire incident, and you only acted defensively" Dumbledore assured him, "Though I'm sure it will continue in September" he added sadly. Severus nodded.

"I have no doubt about that, Sir" Severus said sadly.

"Apart from then, how has your summer been?" the Headmaster asked.

"Fine, really. Though, I did have another dream"

"Oh?"

"Yes, and it's the most confusing one yet. I don't want to talk about it here though, Sir"

"I see"

"It involves You-Know-Who" Severus added, "But it's not something that's going to happen for a number of years"

"Would you allow me to retrieve the memory from you, Severus?" Dumbledore asked him, "I can take it with me back to Hogwarts and view it there" Severus nodded, he wanted to share it with the Headmaster. Dumbledore conjured a small flask, keeping his eyes on Severus. "When you're ready, think of the events you witnessed, as clearly as possible" Dumbledore instructed, lifting his wand to Severus' temple. Severus gave a slight nod to indicate he was ready. He thought about the meeting, the punishments, the questions of his loyalty, Voldemort divulging his quest for immortality - his apparent success at returning from death. Dumbledore pulled his wand away, the strand of memory following and breaking free from Severus' head. Dumbledore placed the strand in the small flask, stoppering it carefully before placing it inside his robes.

"We will discuss this when you return" he told him.

"Yes, Sir" he nodded, "Is there anything else you need to discuss?" Severus asked.

"No, Severus. I just wished to see if any more of _these_ had come through to you. That was the only one?"

"Yes, Sir. Just the one" he confirmed.

"In that case, I shall walk you back to Miss Evans. I'm sure she is keen to have you safely back by her side" he said with a smile.

Severus followed Dumbledore in silence, back to where they had left Lily and her father.

"See you in two weeks, Mr Snape" the Headmaster said to him before he turned away, leaving Severus to return alone. Severus watched Dumbledore leave, before sneaking up behind the two waiting for him. Lily had her back to him and he couldn't resist, kissing the top of her head before draping an arm around her shoulder. Lily jumped at the kiss, before realising who was really there. Her father chuckling and shaking his head at the two of them as Severus crouched down behind her, peeking his head over her shoulder to see her blushing.

"Thank goodness it's you, Sev" she said looking at him out the corner of her eye.

"Who else would it be?" he asked, amused as he kissed her cheek before moving to take the seat next to her.

"I was worried Potter was moving on to sneak attacks" she told him.

"Was everything alright with the Headmaster, Severus?" Mr Evans asked him.

"Yes, all fine" he nodded.

"And you're not in any trouble?" he checked.

"No. None at all" he assured him as Lily reached for his hand. Mr Evans nodded.

"If both of you are ready then, I think we should be heading home" he told them.

"I've got everything I need" Lily said.

"Me too" Severus agreed. The three of them gathered up all the bags and parcels they'd accumulated through the day, ready to make their way back out into the world of Muggles for the last fortnight of the summer.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Before Lily knew it, the summer was over and her and Severus were boarding the train back to Hogwarts. Lily had left Severus in a compartment alone, while she took her turn at patrolling, hoping that she wouldn't run into any trouble, either with the Slytherins, or with Potter. Though really, Potter was more of an annoyance than anything, constantly pestering her and not seeming able to get it through his skull that she just wasn't interested.

"Lily! How was your summer?" Mary called as the two girls spotted each other.

"It was really good" she told her, greeting her with a smile.

"Have you seen much of Snape over the holidays?" her friend asked.

"Of course, he lives pretty much round the corner from me, I've told you that before"

"And you're still... together?"

"Yes, we're still together" she answered, rolling her eyes.

"Do anything interesting?" Mary asked, raising an eyebrow. Ah, the search for gossip begins already.

"Homework, walking round the park, trip to Diagon Alley. The usual kind of things" she shrugged.

"Anything else?"

"Apart from a disastrous dinner with my sister and her hideous boyfriend? Not really"

"Oh. Sounds a bit dull" Mary told her.

"The dinner was! The summer on the other hand was wonderful. Nice and relaxing" she told her, walking past her to continue along the train, peering through compartment windows to make sure all was peaceful.

A door slid opening suddenly, Potter's face appearing in front of her.

"Evans! Just the girl I'm looking for" Potter grinned broadly, grabbing her arm to pull her inside their compartment.

"What do you want, Potter? I'm supposed to be patrolling" she told him, folding her arms across her chest.

"What did Dumbledore have to say to Snivellus after we left you in Diagon Alley?" Black asked, straight to the point then.

"None of your business" she told them coolly.

"Come on, what punishment did he get?" Potter asked, curiosity written all over his face.

"He didn't get any punishment, he didn't do anything wrong!" she snapped.

"I think you'll find he hexed us!" Black snapped back at her.

"Which he wouldn't have done if you two hadn't attacked him first! Just like always!" she told them, eyes flashing.

"Come on, Evans. This is getting ridiculous. I get that he was your friend when you were kids, but don't you think it's gone on long enough?" Potter asked.

"What on Earth are you talking about?" she asked, frustration levels increasing by the minute.

"Look, whatever you think you know about him _has_ to be wrong" Potter reasoned.

"I could say the same to you" she retorted. She knew she was right.

"Look, he's a Slytherin, he will turn out exactly like the others. It's only a matter of time"

He's right, you know" Black joined in, "My family are just like it. Dark. Dangerous" he added.

"You're both wrong!" she snapped, "I'm getting sick of telling you the same things over and over again! Leave. Him. Alone!"

"And have him hexing us?" Potter asked.

"If you didn't follow him all the time, keep provoking him, keep throwing hexes at him, he wouldn't have to defend himself!"

"Defend himself? He's dangerous, Lily!" Potter snapped.

"Not to me, he isn't" she informed them. He wasn't dangerous. She was safer with him than anyone else, she knew that for a fact.

"What about his friends then?" Black asked.

"What friends? He only has me"

"Mulciber, Avery, Rosier. They're all dangerous" Potter told her.

"I know that, they're pure evil" she agreed, "But they're not his friends"

"What about that spell Mulciber used on you?" Potter asked.

"What about it?" she asked suspiciously, she didn't know anyone else knew the specifics, but then again, Mary was there at the time...

""Mulciber said it was one of Snape's little creations. And you _don't_ think he's dangerous?" Potter yelled at her.

"Yes. He created it, but he didn't teach it to them. They go through his things" she told them.

"Yeah, right. I'm sure that's what Snivelly told you" Black suggested.

"Yes, and I believe him"

"Clearly Dumbledore is on to him, why else would he be spending so much time in his office?" Potter asked.

"How do you know about that?" she asked him.

"I have my ways" he answered.

"You're spying on him?" she asked, shaking her head. "Look, whatever you think is going on in that office, it's not that" she told them, not wanting to reveal anything. Black snorted.

"You're going to end up getting hurt" Potter told her.

"I don't need protecting. Not from Severus" she said calmly, "You just need to leave him alone, leave both of us alone"

"I can't just stand back and watch" Potter said.

"Then go after Mulciber and Avery, if you really have to do something. They're the dangerous ones" she said, turning to leave the boys behind, slipping back into the corridor, sighing with frustration as she made her way back to the compartment Severus was waiting in.

Finally reaching their compartment, she settled down on the seat beside him, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Everything ok?" he asked as he kissed her head.

"Don't ask" she sighed, closing her eyes. Severus slipped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

"Bloody Potter and Black!" she snapped. She felt him tense beside her at the mention.

"What did they say?" he asked cautiously

"Well, Mulciber has been letting people know that it was your spell he used, for starters" she said, "So of course, people are going to think you were in on it. Plus, they know about your meetings with Dumbledore, Potter pretty much admitted they've been spying on you" she told him, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself. Severus stroked her arm gently.

"It's not surprising, Lily. You know what they're like. What they're all like" he said quietly. Lily nodded sadly, yes, she did know.

"I just didn't expect it start before we even got back to school" she said quietly.

"I know. It will be ok" he said reassuringly. It didn't make her feel any better though. Every little thing was going to be a fight. Every step of the way, every way they turned, they would be met with the disapproval and suspicion of others. All she wanted to do was run away with Severus, somewhere they could be left alone, or just get on with their lives. She suspected until the War was over, that was going to be impossible.

...

Severus and Lily walked into the Great Hall, students piling out of the carriages and heading inside, all keen to get to their House tables as quickly as possible, ready for this year's sorting ceremony and feast to begin. Lily had her hand firmly in Severus' grasp, neither wanting to let go of the other.

It had already started. The whispers. The stares. People noticing they were still together. Then there was the open disapproval, distrust. Fucking Potter, sticking his nose in where it wasn't wanted. They reached the Gryffindor table first, Severus would have to let her go now, to sit with her House mates, while he would have to continue on, to sit with the Slytherins. Doing whatever he could to ignore them. Ignore their bullshit.

Severus leaned in, kissing Lily quickly on the cheek, not caring what anyone would say, almost daring them to come out with it.

"I'll see you later" he whispered in her ear, squeezing her fingers gently, before letting her go and continuing on with his walk to the other side of the Hall. Severus took a seat at the end of the table, facing the direction of the Gryffindors, to see Lily had taken a seat facing him, sat with Mary and Alice as she usually did.

Severus rolled his eyes as Potter slid into the space next to her, clearly attempting to get her attention in some way. Whatever he was telling her, she didn't want to hear it, he could see her frowning at him, before she turned her back on him as best she could on a wooden bench.

"Snape" Mulciber growled as slid on the bench next to him. Severus ignored him. "Still not over your fascination with the Mudblood I see" he spat disapprovingly. Severus kept his eyes firmly on the table. "I thought you'd be over it by now, or have you still not shagged her?" he sneered. Severus said nothing, but spun on his seat, pulling his wand on him.

"Keep your filthy mouth shut, Mulciber" Severus growled menacingly.

"Ooh, touched a sore spot I take it" Mulciber sneered, "I thought you'd have learned your lesson after what we did to her" he grinned. Severus prodded his wand against Mulciber's throat. Mulciber seemed amused more than anything. "She might not be so lucky, next time" he threatened, before he edged away from Severus' wand, moving to join Avery and the others at the other end of the table.

Severus returned his wand to his robes, continuing his fixed glare at the table as McGonagall started bringing in the first years to be sorted. Severus didn't pay any attention to the hat, or the children. He didn't care, he had bigger things to worry about. Things that could lead to someone getting hurt - himself and Lily - and he didn't know how they were going to avoid it. He barely noticed when the sorting ceremony was over, only the arrival of food on the table alerted him to the fact it was. He didn't much care about that though either, merely picked at it absently, blanking out the conversation around him, until it was over.

Gradually the Hall began to empty, Prefects leading the younger students to the dorms, Professors overseeing, ensuring that everyone got where they were supposed to be. He saw Lily leave the table, helping take care of Gryffindors new first years. She met his eyes after a second before she left, sending a small smile and wave his way.

"You can't avoid us forever, Snape" Mulciber whispered harshly as he left with the rest of his gang. No, probably not, he thought to himself.

"Ah, Severus. Care to join me in my office?" the Headmaster asked, suddenly standing beside him.

"Yes, Sir" he quickly replied, standing to follow. No doubt to discuss the last memory. The two headed to Dumbledore's office in silence, both knew that any discussions needed to take place completely in private.

Soon enough, they were safely in the Headmaster's office and Severus was taking his usual chair. It almost felt like no time had passed since he was last there.

"Trouble already, Severus?" Dumbledore began.

"Sir?"

"Mr Mulciber" he stated. Severus sighed.

"He said some things that he really shouldn't have said, Sir"

"Would you care to elaborate?" he asked.

"Not particularly, Sir" _or more correctly, definitely not_. "Potter knows we've been meeting. He told Lily on the train, she says he practically admitted he's spying on me" Severus told him.

"I see. Well, it is impossible for him to eavesdrop in here, I assure you" Dumbledore told him with a smile.

"He might not be able to hear us, but he knows I'm here. He always seems to know where I am" he frowned.

"I will have Professor McGonagall look into things, Severus. If he is 'spying' we will find out how he is doing it" he told him calmly. Severus nodded, he wanted to believe him, wanted to trust him. He was still relying on Dumbledore to help him make sense of what was happening to him. "For now, I think we should discuss that latest memory of yours"

"It is a confusing one, Sir. Does any of it make sense to you?" Severus asked. Dumbledore leaned back in his own chair, maintaining his gaze.

"It confirms a suspicion I have, Severus" he began

"Immortality?" Severus asked.

"Indeed. Voldemort fears death. It is only logical that he would seek to overcome that he perceives to be an obstacle"

"But _how_ is that possible? It sounded like he did find a way"

"I believe so"

"That he's already working on it now. Or he's already achieved it" Severus said.

"I think he has taken the first steps"

"But what? How can he be stopped if he can't truly be killed? He'll just keep coming back!"

"We need to undo what he has done. Remove the things that keep him tethered to this world" Dumbledore told him calmly.

"But what _are_ those 'things?'" Severus asked, feeling his frustration bubbling.

"At the moment, I only have suspicions, Severus. I do not believe it wise to discuss it just yet. Until we have more information" he said calmly. Severus sighed, feeling that Dumbledore didn't fully trust him yet. "I can't imagine you as Potions Master here, Severus" Dumbledore suddenly said, an amused twinkle in his eyes. Severus almost smiled.

"Me neither, Sir. I don't think I'd enjoy teaching very much" he acknowledged.

"It seems your other life was spent doing what was necessary. Voldemort believed you were at Hogwarts on his orders" Dumbledore said.

"Seemed that way. I was ordered to keep close to you and earn your trust" Severus told him.

"Made you the perfect double agent. Occlumency turned out to be a particularly useful skill" he added. Severus agreed.

"I'm not becoming a spy, Sir. Not if I have a choice. It's too dangerous" Severus told him.

"Judging by those memories you weren't a Death Eater for long. You turned spy early on, in an attempt to protect her" Dumbledore told him.

"It didn't help though, did it, Sir" he snapped, " She was still murdered by Him!" Severus sank down in his chair, burying his face in his hands. He was letting his emotions getting away from him. Dumbledore sighed.

"I will not ask you to spy, Severus" Dumbledore assured him, "And you _do_ have choices. These memories show one particular life. You have chosen to change what you have seen already. This _is_ your life" Severus shook his head, he didn't know if it really was. For all he knew, the changes he made were only going to make things worse.

"Whatever else happens, I can't let her die" Severus told him, meeting the Headmasters eyes. Dumbledore nodded. He understood.

"Whatever you did, you did it for Lily, or for her memory" he stated simply. Yes, that was it. Lily's death had been the catalyst, he had taken it upon himself to destroy the monster that had murdered the only person he had ever cared about. Ever loved. He knew in this life he'd do whatever he could to make sure she was kept away from His clutches. He'd die for, kill for her if it was necessary. Somehow, he knew that Dumbledore was aware of that fact too.

"Now, it's getting very late. Why don't I escort you to your new room? Your things should already be there for you" Dumbledore told him quietly, Severus nodded. Yes, it had been a long day and more than anything, right now, he needed sleep.

Severus followed as Dumbledore stood and lead him from the office, down the steps, down corridors and staircases until they came to a secluded area on the third floor. Dumbledore told him the password to allow him in, and bid him good night.

Looking around the room, he found it to be decorated in Slytherin colours, just like the dorms he'd left behind, and a bed identical to the one he'd had. A desk under a small window, drawers and cupboard for his belongings, and a door leading to his own bathroom. Yes, this was definitely better than sharing a room with Mulciber, Avery, Rosier and Wilkes. They had no idea he was being moved, they were probably waiting for him to head to the dungeons. He wondered how long it would be until someone discovered where he would now be sleeping. He suspected Potter already knew, however he was spying on him. For now, he would sleep, tomorrow it was back to classes and it was already close to midnight. Severus shrugged off his robes, casting them casually over his trunk and slipped under the covers. Sleep quickly finding him as his eyes closed in the darkness.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Severus slipped into the seat beside Lily at the front of the classroom. Both of them eager to return to brewing, definitely something he'd missed over the summer. Today, they were beginning NEWT level work, he was already familiar with pretty much all the potions they would be working on, he'd read so much during his free time.

Lily gave him a bright smile as he glanced over at her, her eyes warm and sparkling. The class was smaller than in previous years, not all the Slytherins had continued on to the more advanced level, though unfortunately Mulciber was there - no doubt aiming to improve his skills enough to work for You-Know-Who. And Potter and Black were there, they'd let everyone know they were aiming to be Aurors and Potions at this level was a necessary requirement. He only hoped they paid more attention to their work than to him.

Slughorn bustled around the room, wandering between the desks as the students took their seats. Severus kept his eyes on the display at the front of the room, an assortment of glass vials and cauldrons simmering away, spirals of steam rising from the pearly surface of one of them.

"Welcome, welcome NEWT students" Slughorn began, satisfied that all necessary were present, "As I'm sure you're aware, this class is going to be considerably trickier now than in previous years" he said as he headed for the front of the classroom, standing beside the display on his desk. "To start with, a little test for you, just some of the potions you'll be able to produce by the time your NEWT's are completed"

Severus glanced at the display, all were pretty obvious, to him at least. And probably to Lily too, she'd read almost as much as he had.

"So, who can tell me what we have here?" Slughorn asked, gesturing towards a cauldron containing a perfectly clear, gently bubbling solution. Severus raised his hand, as did a couple of others. "Mr Snape?"

"Veritaserum, Sir" Severus answered.

"And its effects, Mr Snape?"

"To force the drinker to tell the truth, Sir"

"Excellent. Now, anyone else care to tell me about this particular potion?" Slughorn asked, lifting up a vial containing a murky looking sludge. A few people raised their hands, "Mr Potter?"

"Polyjuice, Sir. Allows someone to take on the physical appearance of someone else" Potter answered.

"Indeed. Well done, Mr Potter. And finally, who can identify this one?" he asked as he indicated the final cauldron. This time only two put their hand up, "Miss Evans?"

"Amortentia, Sir. A powerful love potion, that creates an obsessive love" she answered. Severus tried to ignore the sniggers that came from Potter and Black. No doubt in his mind what they were laughing about.

"Excellent, Miss Evans. A rather dangerous substance in my opinion. Rather intriguing and interesting, it has a different scent to everyone, depending on what they find attractive" he informed them, "Would anyone care to take a sniff?" he asked with an amused expression, standing aside as students cautiously approached, clearly curious as to what scents they would find.

"Don't you want to find out what it smells like to you?" Lily whispered in his ear. Severus grinned as her breath tickled his cheek.

"I don't need to, I already know what I find 'attractive'" he told her with a smirk, he couldn't fail to miss the blush that crept over her cheeks. "What about you, aren't you curious?" he asked.

"Nah, I'm good where I am thanks" she replied with a mischievous smile.

"Right then, if you could all take your seats" Slughorn's voice called out after a few minutes, waiting for everyone to move away from his desk. "Today, we're going to be working on Draught of Living Death, an extremely powerful sleeping potion, that when taken gives the drinker the appearance of being dead. A very tricky potion, that requires a great deal of concentration. Now, if you'll take out your books and equipment, you may begin" he instructed.

Soon, the dungeon was bustling as the students all began removing items from their bags. Books, cauldrons, scales and supplies were soon being spread across the desks, chatter soon rippling around the room as they began their work. Everyone was working alone for this project, giving Severus mixed feelings. On the one hand, he enjoyed working alone, going by instinct as he created his potions. On the other hand, he missed the feeling of creating 'something' with Lily, the warmth it gave him as their joint effort took shape, receiving praise from their Professor.

The two of them worked side by side, both making good progress with their potions, exchanging glances and smiles as their potions simmered, bubbling away as it changed colour.

"How come you know so much about love potions, Evans?" Potter's voice suddenly interrupted, at Lily's side by their desk. Severus' eyes snapped to his, the unspoken accusation hanging in the air.

"Because she reads, Potter. You should really try it sometime" Severus snapped, not taking his eyes off him. Potter snorted.

"Yeah, right. Well I think there's something else happening"

"Like what, exactly?" Lily snapped, slamming a hand down on the desk.

"Like Snivelly here, slipping some of that Amortentia in your drink" Potter smirked.

"How dare you" she growled dangerously, face glowing red as she tried to suppress her anger. Severus could feel his own anger bubbling, tried to take calming breaths as he gripped the edge of the desk.

"Well, you can't deny it's possible" Potter shrugged, "Why else would someone like _you_ , suddenly want to be with someone like _him?_ "

"What the Hell is that supposed to mean?" she snapped before Severus could say anything.

"You know what it means" he grinned, "You're beautiful and intelligent, and he's, well, _Snivellus_ "

Before either of them could say anything, Severus' cauldron started bubbling heavily, sparks emitting from its surface as it began to smoke. Severus caught Potter glance at something behind him, he turned to see Black stepping away, the pair of them quickly heading back to their own desk.

"What's happening?" Lily asked as the cauldron smoked heavily.

"Get down!" Severus shouted, pulling Lily down, attempting to shield her as the cauldron exploded. Splashes of hot potion hitting his robes. Fortunately others around them ducked as he'd yelled. Nobody was hurt, but all that remained was his smoking cauldron now lying on its side, the half finished potion spreading across the desk.

"My goodness, what on Earth happened, Mr Snape?" Slughorn asked as he made his way over.

"I thought Snape was supposed to be good at Potions" Black mocked across the room.

"They did something to his potion, Sir" Lily told him.

"Oh?"

"Black must have put something in there while his back was turned. Potter came over making some rather ridiculous comments, Sir" she explained.

"Is that true, Mr Snape?" Slughorn asked.

"Yes, Sir. I didn't realise Black was behind me until they were running back to their desk"

"That's ridiculous, Sir. We didn't do anything!" Potter protested.

"Needless to say, I will be talking to the Headmaster about this" Slughorn informed them all. Potter and Black both glared, Lily looked annoyed. "Now, both of your potions have been ruined by... whatever has taken place. Would you like to make it up this evening?" he asked them both.

"Yes please, Sir" Severus answered. Lily nodded, she wouldn't want to miss out, and chances are they'd have the lab to themselves. Slughorn would probably be in his office, staying nearby to make sure nobody came to interfere again.

With a heavy sigh, Severus and Lily cleared up what remained of their ruined potions. It was going to be a very long year, it wasn't even the end of the first week and the Marauders had their pranks and taunting underway. And Severus wasn't entirely sure how much provoking he could take until he snapped.

...

Dumbledore sat behind his desk, eyeing the two boys stood in front of him. Disappointed that the two of them were still determined to keep provoking Severus Snape. Professor Slughorn had filled him in on today's Potions class, the sniggers he'd heard, comments sent in the direction of Severus. Or as they preferred to call him 'Snivellus'. The sneaking of _something_ into Severus' cauldron, the explosion that had taken place. Fortunately nobody had been injured today, the worst outcome meaning Mr Snape and Miss Evans had to spend this evening re-doing their ruined work.

"Needless to say, I'm very disappointed in both of you" Dumbledore told them sadly.

"As am I" Professor McGonagall volunteered, hands clasped in front of her as she stood beside Albus, "I expect much better behaviour from my own House, Mr Potter, Mr Black" she informed them.

"But Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, we didn't do anything!" Potter protested, though not at all convincingly.

"Snape hates us, he'd say anything to get us in trouble" Black added.

"But this hasn't come from Mr Snape" he informed them. The two boys looked at each other, a mixture of confusion and guilt. "Professor Slughorn came to me to discuss today's class, and I felt it prudent for us to have a little... discussion" he explained as he indicated for the boys to take a seat. Potter and Black sat as Dumbledore stood, walking around to perch in front of them on the edge of his desk. "This isn't the first time you've had an issue with Mr Snape, the incident in Diagon Alley..."

"That was his fault, Sir!" Potter snapped.

"From what I witnessed, I do not believe that to be the case" he told them, peering at them over the top of his glasses. The boys both looked at the floor. "I do not know why you have taken such an exception to Mr Snape, but I do not like it" he informed them.

"He's dark, Sir!" Black spat out.

"And you know this for a fact, Mr Black?" he posed to him.

"Well, it's kind of obvious. He's been friends with Mulciber and that lot since he got here, plus those spells! Mulciber used one of his spells to hurt Evans!" Potter rambled. Dumbledore sighed.

"Do you believe Miss Evans would have remained good friends with him for all these years if was indeed, dark, as you suspect?"

"What if he's controlling her, Sir?" Potter asked.

"Do you think I wouldn't have noticed if that was the case, Mr Potter?" Dumbledore asked. Potter shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Neither of them answered. "Whatever grudge you happen to have, I suggest you let it go" he told them, "I do not want to hear of Mr Snape's work being sabotaged again, nor do I wish to hear of _anyone_ taking a trip to the Hospital Wing" he informed them.

"Yes, Sir" they both answered sheepishly.

"Do you have anything to add, Professor McGonagall?" he asked his Deputy.

"Only that Mr Potter and Mr Black should try and make more of an effort to keep away from Mr Snape, and probably Miss Evans as well. I do not like it when points are taken from Gryffindor - particularly if I have to remove them myself. Do not give me a reason to do so" she said as she looked them over.

"Yes, Professor" they mumbled.

"Very well, the two of you may go. But be warned, I will be watching"

"We're not getting a detention, Sir?" Potter asked.

"We all know that one of you two did something to Mr Snape's potion, but there is no proof. This time, consider it a warning. Try to think more carefully about the results of your actions" he warned them, hoping then would listen and leave Severus alone.

The more time he spent with Severus, the more he realised the boy wasn't dark. He was a victim. Over and over again, in every area of his life. A quiet boy it was too easy for others to gain an advantage over. Sooner or later, he would fight back, there would be a final straw. Albus knew it was up to him to make sure that didn't happen.

Dumbledore watched as the now dismissed boys rose from their chairs and left his office without another word.

"I'll keep an eye on them, Albus" Minerva assured him, offering a curt nod as she too swept from his office, leaving him alone to contemplate the events of the day.

...

Lily made her way back to the Gryffindor common room, exhausted after a long day. A full day of classes, followed by an evening with Severus, brewing Draught of Living Death again, thanks to Potter and Black meddling, blowing up Severus' cauldron which in turn, had ruined her own. Even if hers hadn't been ruined, she would have gone with him to the dungeons, Professor Slughorn would have let her stay.

Sighing, she dropped into a comfortable chair by the fire, stretching her legs out in front of her, closing her eyes, taking a few minutes to bask in the warmth before she headed for bed. House mates were gathered in various groups around the room, two playing Wizards chess, a group playing exploding snap, a few reading quietly, a group of four boys engaged in a discussion...

"It just doesn't make sense" she heard Black say.

"I know. He hasn't been in the Slytherin dorms once since we got back" Potter added.

"That we know of" Lupin told them, "You can't possibly be watching him 24 hours a day. And we've only been back a couple of days" he added reasonably.

"No, but surely if he's not sleeping in the dorms, Dumbledore should know. We have to tell him" Potter told them.

"What if Dumbledore already knows?" Lupin asked.

"What if he doesn't?" Potter snapped back.

"And how exactly would you explain to him that you know he's not sleeping in the dungeons?" Lupin asked. She heard Potter sigh, and fought the urge to jump up and start shouting at them again, "You've already been told to keep away from him, leave him alone" Lupin continued.

"There's something not right going on though, you know that as well as us, Moony" Black told him.

"First night back, Snivellus was dragged off to the Headmaster's office. What was that about?" Potter asked.

"Yeah, and all those meetings he had at the end of last term?" Black continued.

"Dumbledore knows Snivellus is dark, he's trying to stop him from going too far!" Potter finished.

"Then why isn't he doing the same with Mulciber? He was the one that was going to attack Mary, he was the one who hurt Lily" Lupin reasoned.

"Yeah, with Snape's spell! And he probably brewed the potion" Potter snapped. Lily heard Lupin sigh, it sounded like he was at least attempting to be reasonable, giving Severus the benefit of the doubt. But he was fighting a losing battle. Potter and Black were fairly cemented in their hatred of Severus. Pettigrew just went along with whatever they said.

"Look, maybe Lily's right. Whatever you think you know about Snape is wrong. Do you think she'd be with him, if he really was dark? She must know him better than anyone" Lupin told them. Lily nodded to herself, damn right she knew him, and she would keep on defending him too.

"Well, look at this though, Moony. It's after curfew now, and he's not in the Slytherin dorms" she heard Black tell them. How did they know that from here?

"Yeah, see, he's on the third floor again. Same as the last two nights" Potter continued. _Third floor?_ They knew where Severus' room was? That couldn't be good. She heard Lupin sigh again. Frustration? Resignation? She didn't know.

"Just put that away, James. He's not in his dorms. Fine. Maybe there's a perfectly good explanation, but it's none of our business" he said, lowering his voice.

"Fine" Potter snapped, "Mischief managed" she heard him mutter, followed by the rustling of parchment. Lily fought the urge to turn and look over the back of the chair. So far they hadn't noticed she was there and she didn't want to change that now. A few minutes later, she heard movement as she assumed the four boys were heading towards the dorms. Finally, she chanced a glance, seeing their backs retreating.

Lily let out a deep sigh. This was not good, they obviously had some way of spying on Severus from a distance. Which would make sense. Last year they always seemed to be nearby, sneaking up on him, on both of them when they least expected it. She would have to wait until tomorrow to tell him what she'd heard, she knew he wouldn't take it well, but at least they would know _something_ was going on. Perhaps she should talk to Professor McGonagall, or even the Headmaster. Perhaps she should leave that to Severus.

Frowning, she heaved herself out the chair, making her way towards her own bed, hoping she would get some sleep now, and not be kept awake by her swirling thoughts.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

 _Severus sat in the Headmaster's Office. Albus behind his desk in his customary chair, Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout also sat, waiting to hear Dumbledore's explanation._

 _"What happened, Albus?" Minerva asked, clearly tired of waiting._

 _"The Chamber of Secrets was opened" he stated simply._

 _"We know that, Albus!" snapped Filius, "But how?"_

 _"What I have to say must not leave this room" Albus informed them, glancing around at his colleagues. "It would seem this Diary was able to possess Miss Weasley, instructing her to open the chamber" Albus began, placing a rather beaten, battered book on his desk. Severus eyed it curiously._

 _""How?" Pomona asked, clearly unnerved._

 _"A rather dark artefact, slipped to her by Lucius Malfoy. Though we have no direct evidence" he informed them calmly. Of course it was Malfoy, absolute pain in the arse._

 _"For what purpose though?" Minerva asked._

 _"To cause a nuisance, to attempt to drive Muggleborns from Hogwarts" he stated. Severus didn't believe Albus was telling them the whole truth, he rarely did._

 _"To drive_ you _from Hogwarts?" Minerva asked him, "He almost succeeded in that, Albus"_

 _"I believe he would see my removal as Headmaster a distinct advantage" he agreed. No doubt Malfoy wanted Dumbledore gone. "In any case, the Chamber has been sealed once again, Miss Weasley will make a full recovery, as will Mr Potter. Professor Lockhart, on the other hand..." he trailed off._

 _"What happened to the bumbling fool?" Minerva asked._

 _"Apparently managed to Obliviate himself. He has already been taken to St Mungo's, but I believe he will be there for a while, if not permanently" he said quietly. The others sighed, looking between each other. Severus still had his eyes firmly on the Diary. There was clearly more to it than they'd been told._

 _"Now, it's been a very long day to say the least, for now, I suggest you return to your Houses. We are safe now" Dumbledore told them. The Professor's nodded, bidding the Headmaster and each other good night, filing out of the office, leaving Severus alone with the Headmaster._

 _"What really happened, Albus?" Severus asked._

 _"It is as I said, Severus. The Diary possessed Ginny Weasley, directing her to open the Chamber"_

 _"And?"_

 _"And what, Severus?"_

 _"Is it his? You said Malfoy gave it to the girl"_

 _"Yes" Dumbledore sighed, "It is Lord Voldemort's" he confirmed._

 _"The Dark Lord was possessing Miss Weasley?"_

 _"Yes, Severus"_

 _"They are trying to bring him back?" Severus asked._

 _"Perhaps not intentionally. I do not believe Lucius Malfoy was truly aware of what he had in his possession. I'm sure you will be hearing from him yourself before too much time has passed. Voldemort made it clear in the past that he intended to conquer death"_

 _"He did. Is this, was this, one of his attempts, Albus?"_

 _"I believe so, Severus"_

 _"Do you expect there to be more items like this, or is this the only one?" Severus asked. If this was the only one, surely he could no longer return._

 _"I believe there are more" he said sadly._

 _"How many?" 5? 10? 150? Who knew?_

 _"At this point, I cannot say. I could make a guess, but that is all" Albus told him. Severus picked up the Diary, turning it over in his hands, flipping through what remained of the pages. Whatever it was, it had been very Dark, and very powerful._

 _"What caused the damage, Albus?"_

 _"A basilisk fang. Most ingenious. It would have required something extremely powerful to destroy something hiding a piece of such a malevolent soul"_

 _"Soul? A piece of the Dark Lord's soul?" Severus asked. How was that possible?_

 _"I believe so, Severus. But as I said, all I have are guesses" he said quietly. Severus sighed, spotting a name on the battered cover._

 _"Tom Marvolo Riddle?" Severus asked with a frown._

 _"The birth name of Lord Voldemort. The name he cast off when he set out to bring terror into the world" he explained, "I believe we should leave it there for tonight, Severus" Albus informed him with a smile. Severus nodded, placing the Diary back on the desk, alongside the bloodied sword of Gryffindor - they hadn't even discussed that - somehow he knew they wouldn't be. At least, not any time soon. "Goodnight, Severus"_

 _"Goodnight, Albus" Severus replied, sweeping from the office, black robes billowing behind him._

...

Lily almost yelped as a hand tugged at her sleeve, stopping her in her tracks as she headed towards the Great Hall for breakfast. Sighing with relief as she spun to find Severus.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you" he whispered.

"It's fine" she smiled, "I think I was lost in my own world there" she told him.

Is everything alright?" he asked as she slipped her hand into his.

"I'm not really sure" she told him, looking around cautiously, "I don't want to talk about it here though" Severus nodded, leading her towards a hidden alcove, casting a _Muffliato_ as the tapestry fell over them, hiding them from view.

"What is it?" he asked, concern on his features.

"I overheard Potter and Black talking in the Common room" she started. Severus sighed.

"Oh joy, what are they planning?"

"Nothing. I don't think so anyway. They know you're not sleeping in the Slytherin dorms, they know you're on the third floor" she told him.

"They're spying on me" he stated.

"Yes, but I don't know how. They were doing it from the Common room. They knew you were with Dumbledore the first night back. They think he's trying to keep you in line, stop you taking your 'evil' too far"

"Well that's just charming" he said, rolling his eyes.

"They think you were behind the planned attack on Mary, and the attack on me" she whispered. Severus closed his eyes, leaning back against the stone wall.

"I guess it won't be long until the rumours start. Mulciber will love that, I'll be made his perfect little scapegoat" he said sadly. Lily moved to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his chest.

"I don't think so. Lupin was trying to reason with them. Told them to trust my judgement" she said, peeking up at him, "Potter wants to go to Dumbledore, about you sleeping on the third floor"

"Let them, I don't care" he snapped half-heartedly, "They'll have to explain how they know that, they're supposed to be keeping away from me" he told her. That was true, they'd definitely come off looking worse, and have to admit they'd been spying.

Severus finally wrapped his own arms around her, gentle fingers stroking her back as he kissed the top of her head. She heard him sigh.

"Are you ok, Sev?" she asked him.

"I had another dream last night" he told her. Lily pulled away slightly to look at his face.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Another strange one. There was a Diary, that belonged to You-Know-Who. Dumbledore said it had a bit of his soul in it. I think it has something to do with his quest for immortality"

"Oh? So if you can find and destroy the Diary he won't be immortal anymore?" she asked.

"In theory, but there's more than one thing that needs to be destroyed"

"How many?"

"I don't know" he shrugged, "In the dream, Dumbledore said he had a theory, a guess. Nothing concrete"

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Yes. I was going to see him today, rather than wait for our usual meeting" he told her. Lily nodded, probably a good idea, it sounded like this memory was offering a pretty big clue.

"You'll find me later then?" she asked him.

"Of course" he smiled, leaning in to kiss her gently. Severus' lips had barely brushed against her own, when the tapestry behind her was snatched aside. Lily jumped, glancing over her shoulder to find Potter's smug face staring at them. Severus' face darkened as he lifted his _Muffliato._

"Well, well, well, What do we have here then?" Potter smirked, leaning against the edge of the alcove, keeping hold of the tapestry.

"It's none of your bloody business, Potter" she snapped back at him.

"Oooh, interrupting something are we?" Black joined, peering over Potter's shoulder. Lily turned fully to face them, arms folded, glaring as she kept herself between them and Severus.

"What would Professor McGonagall say if she knew one of her Prefect's was hiding away in alcoves with Snivellus?" Potter queried.

"Seeing as all we were doing was talking, I don't think she'd mind" she said through gritted teeth.

"Didn't look like talking to me" Potter replied.

"It's still none of your business" she snapped, moving towards them, shoving Potter out of the way. Severus followed close behind her as she stormed away. "You go and see Dumbledore" she whispered as Severus caught up. He nodded, dashing off, back towards the Great Hall to see if the Headmaster was still there.

"Evans, wait up!" Potter called after her. Lily rolled her eyes.

"What?" she snapped, whipping around to face them. "What do you want?"

"Easy" he grinned, holding her hands up in mock surrender, "What were you and Snivellus _talking_ about"

"It's none of your business, what part of that sentence do you not understand?" she said, annoyed and frustrated at the pair of boys in front of her.

"Are you sure it's safe, hiding away in dark corners with him?" Potter asked.

"Of course it's safe!" she snapped. _Really?_ "Wait a minute, how did you know where we were?" she suddenly asked, they couldn't have been overheard, Severus had cast a _Muffliato_ to make sure of that. Spying?

"Erm, well, I thought you'd be with him somewhere" he shrugged.

"You're spying on us? On him?" she asked, eyes blazing.

"Spying's a bit of a strong word, don't you think?" he asked, attempting a grin.

"No. It is what it is. And you're spying! Why can't you just leave him alone?"

"I don't trust him"

"Well I do! I don't need saving from Severus. He's not a danger to me, or anyone else for that matter" she told him.

"Well, where has he run off too now? The Headmaster? Why does he spend so much time with him?"

"Something else you discovered during your _spying_?" she asked him.

"Do you know?" he asked, clearly curious.

"Of course I know" she snapped, making to walk away from them.

"And why hasn't he been sleeping in the Slytherin dorms?" Potter whispered, grabbing her arm to stop her.

"Something else that's none of your business" she said in returned.

"Does the Headmaster know about it?" he asked.

"Well that's something you'd have to ask the Headmaster, isn't it?" she snapped, pulling her sleeve free, finally able to walk away from Potter, leaving him standing in the corridor with Sirius Black, eager to put as much distance between them and herself as possible.

...

"Does it make sense to you, Sir?" Severus asked as Dumbledore made his way back from the Pensieve.

"Most interesting, Severus" he stated in reply.

"So whatever he was, _is_ , working on to make himself immortal, he succeeded?" Severus asked.

"So it would seem"

"How is it possible? How can you put a piece of your soul into something?" Severus asked, confused and frustrated.

"I could make a guess, but it is purely a guess"

"I think you could do more than guess, Sir" Severus told him, patience wearing thin at being kept in the dark. Dumbledore said nothing, just kept his eyes on him, neither speaking for a few minutes. "How many pieces could he have made? How many 'anchors' to keep him in this world?" Severus asked, slightly more calmly.

"Now that, I genuinely do not know" Dumbledore answered, looking Severus straight in the eye. Severus did believe that.

"And how will we know what they all are?" Severus asked.

"We, Severus?" Dumbledore asked with a raised eyebrow. Severus sighed.

"Well, given that these 'memories', this information is coming to me, I can't help but feel like I'm part of it, Sir" he admitted. He was part of it, whether he wanted to be or not. Dumbledore nodded.

"Perhaps we should see if any other memories reveal themselves to you, give us some more clues" Dumbledore told him.

"At least we know the Diary is something to look out for, and we know how to destroy it" Severus said. It was something they could add to their list at least.

"Indeed, and we know it was in the possession of Lucius Malfoy before it made its way to Hogwarts" Dumbledore added.

"But for how long before? He might have only had it for a few weeks or months before, or he could have it now" Severus argued. They had no way of knowing when it was under Malfoy's care - not that he seemed to have any idea what it was. If he'd known that he could have used it to resurrect the Dark Lord, surely he would have done just that, given that he was an enthusiastic Death Eater already.

"This is true. I believe I need to look at gathering some information myself" the Headmaster told him.

"Was that really his name, Sir?" Severus asked, curious about that little nugget of information.

"Yes, Severus. Tom Riddle was his name" Dumbledore nodded.

"And he changed it to... that?" he asked.

"Yes. He wanted to instil terror into the Wizarding World, choosing a name others would fear to say" Dumbledore began, "And he wanted to distance himself"

"Distance himself? From what?" Severus asked.

"His father. He despised his father, a Muggle" Dumbledore told him quietly. Severus felt his jaw drop. A Muggle? His mouth opened and closed without saying a thing. "His father was tricked into marrying his mother - a Pureblood witch. He did not love her, and left while she was pregnant" he continued.

"That's why he hates Muggles?" Severus asked, stunned by the revelation. It sounded too much like himself. Dumbledore nodded.

"You are not like him, Severus" the Headmaster told him calmly, seeming to sense the direction his thoughts had taken.

"No?" he asked, though his voice came out smaller than he expected.

"No, Severus. There are similarities, it cannot be denied" he told him. Severus shook his head.

"Pureblood mother, Muggle father who didn't give a shit. Sounds pretty damn alike. Both Slytherin, both interested in the Dark Arts, shall I go on?" he asked, starting to ramble. Not liking the comparisons he was making between himself and the Dark Lord. No wonder people were suspicious of him.

"True, there _are_ similarities, Severus. But there are also great differences" the Headmaster told him gently, "You do not hate all Muggles, do you?" he asked. Severus shook his head. No, he didn't hate Muggles, or Muggleborns. He hated his father, but he had a good reason for that. "And despite the treatment you have received through your life, you are still able to love" Dumbledore added.

"Love?" he asked.

"Voldemort has never understood love, has never felt it - from anyone, or _for_ anyone. You have experienced, do experience both, Severus. And that makes all the difference" the Headmaster explained. Severus nodded. Lily. Yes, what he felt for Lily was bigger than anything else, was stronger than any anger he felt. And knowing that she loved him? At least he knew he had a place he belonged in the Universe, and would do what he could to prove he was worthy of receiving her love. While love existed in his heart, he could never truly be consumed by darkness, there would always be a part of him kept in the light.

Severus nodded, he understood. At least, partly. There would always be similarities between himself and Voldemort, that was unavoidable. But love was always going to separate them, and he would do what he could to make the right choices in this life, to make sure that love stayed in it. With Lily by his side.

 **A/N - Once again, thank you so much to everyone who has followed the story and left reviews, it's so nice to hear your thoughts on the story and to know people out there are enjoying it! Writing this does seem to have taken over my life somewhat at the moment, but I am thoroughly enjoying working on it. When I first started the story, from my rough outline I'd estimated it would work out around 50 chapters, though now I've got the whole time line properly plotted out (and had numerous discussions with my husband to make sure it all fits together), I don't think it will be done in less than 100. I really hope you enjoy where the story is going, and how the characters develop.**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Severus left his room cautiously, keeping an eye out for any attempted ambushes. He knew the Marauders wouldn't be far away, they never were. Though admittedly, they seemed to be more interested in taunting him and making a nuisance of themselves, rather than cause him injury. And of course, there was Potter's attempts at flirting with Lily, even though she'd made it clear she had no interest in Potter and was more than happy with Severus.

Lily should be on her way up to meet him by now, it was the weekend again and the two of them made every effort to spend as much of it together as possible. Severus rounded the corner to head for the main staircase.

"Snape," he heard Mulciber growl, "So this is where you've been hiding away then." Brilliant. It was only a matter of time before they tracked him down. Really, he was surprised it had taken them over a month to find him.

"What of it?" Severus asked, scowling at the boys in front of him, Avery had now joined his fellow thug. Severus was just glad Lily hadn't come to him yet, whatever happened next, at least she wasn't going to get caught up in it. This could get very bad, very quick.

"What did you do? Go running to Dumbledore? Told him you were frightened?" Mulciber sneered. Severus didn't answer, what was the point? He thought about attempting to continue his journey, maybe get into an area with more people. Or maybe the Hospital Wing, that wasn't far from here.

"We're not done with you, Snape!" Mulciber shouted as Severus turned away. Severus reached into his robes for his wand as Avery sent a tripping jinx at him, causing him to stumble, but he managed to stay on his feet, turning to aim his own wand back at the boy firmly thinking _Levicorpus_ , raising him into the air by the ankle. Avery was caught by surprise, his wand slipping from his fingers as his robes fell over his face.

"Let me down, Snape! You'll regret this!" Avery threatened as his arms thrashed about.

"He's not wrong" Mulciber sneered, "Expelliarmus!" he shouted. Severus was ready, casting a non-verbal shield, the spell bouncing off unexpectedly, annoying Mulciber.

"Impedimenta!" Severus yelled, throwing as much into the jinx as he could, hoping to make his retreat to a safe haven before they were released.

"Sectumsempra!" Mulciber growled at him from the floor before he had even taken two steps, the spell slashing across his back. It wasn't deep, but he stumbled to his knees. He twisted his arm behind him, aiming a _Langlock_ at Mulciber before he could do anything else, he wasn't as advanced at non-verbal spells so it should at least slow him down. Annoyed, Mulciber dragged Severus up by his robes, the bigger boy obviously moving on to a physical attack now that his spell casting ability had been so drastically reduced. Severus attempted to cast another spell, but the pain was making it hard for him to concentrate.

"Incarcerous!" he heard Lily cry, and suddenly dropped back to his knees as ropes snaked their way around Mulciber, pulling him off and binding him tightly. "Sev, are you alright?" she exclaimed, sinking to her knees beside him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm ok" he nodded, lying, and they both knew it.

"No. We need to get you to the Hospital Wing" she said, shaking her head. Severus nodded. Definitely needed the Hospital Wing. Severus made a quick glance over Lily's shoulder, Mulciber lying on the ground, fighting against the ropes, still unable to protest the position he found himself in, Avery dangling by the ankle.

"We need to do something about them" he told her, indicating with a tip of his head.

"They can wait, they're not going anywhere" she told him firmly.

"What do we have here then?" Potter's voice suddenly joined, frowning as he took in the scene.

"What we have here, is two gits who need to see the Headmaster" Lily snapped, " Are you two going to make yourselves useful for a change?" she asked Potter and Black, who was, unsurprisingly close on Potter's heals. Severus rolled his eyes, the day was just getting better. Potter and Black exchanged glances before both looking at Severus.

"What about him?" Potter asked, pointing at Severus, still on his knees and feeling himself getting weaker.

"He needs the Hospital Wing, they hurt him" Lily told them, "I'm going to take him now. He needs help. One of you stay with these and make sure they don't go anywhere, one of you fetch the Headmaster and tell him they attacked Severus" she instructed. They kept their eyes on Lily before finally nodding. Black making his way quickly from the third floor, Potter removing his wand from his robes while he stood guard over the two Slytherin attackers.

"Do you think you can stand, Sev?" Lily asked him quietly, one hand stroking his cheek. He gave a small nod as he met her concerned eyes, taking a few deep breaths as he pushed himself up, allowing Lily to pull him to standing. Lily slipped her arm around his waist as he draped his arm around her shoulder for support as they started the short trip to the Hospital Wing. Neither of them spoke a word to Potter as they left him alone with Mulciber and Avery, leaving them to wait for Black to return with Dumbledore.

...

Lily made her way to the Hospital Wing, keeping her arm firmly around Severus. Neither of them talking, though she could hear him taking deep breaths. She'd seen the state of the robes on his back, tattered and torn the same way hers had been, blood seeping through the layers of his clothing. She knew he was hurting.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Lily called as she pushed the Hospital doors open. The Matron was quickly at Severus' side, guiding them to the corner bed (his usual bed, as far away from any 'visitors' as possible), helping him to sit on the edge of the bed. Severus winced as he relaxed, finally taking the weight off his feet, tiredness from the attack starting to catch up with him.

"Now then, what happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked the two of them.

"Mulciber used that spell on me, on my back" Severus explained, still taking deep breaths.

"Well, let's get your robes off and have a look at you" she instructed, pulling the curtains closed around the bed.

"I don't think it's very deep" Severus told her, "Just hurts a lot" he said as he reached to unfasten his robes.

"Do you want me to wait outside?" Lily suddenly asked, not at all sure she should be present while he disrobed.

"You don't have to leave if you don't want to " he told her, she could have sworn she saw the corner of his mouth twitch towards a smile. Lily nodded, she really would rather stay with him as long as she had a choice. Severus grimaced as he pushed the robes off his shoulder, handing them to Lily as she reached out her hand. Lily moved to the chair to inspect the damage, quietly repairing them and removing the blood while Madam Pomfrey looked at his back.

"Shirt off as well, Mr Snape" she instructed. Lily met his eyes for a second, before looking away again as he unbuttoned his shirt, sliding it off to place it beside him on the bed. "There are several cuts, Severus" she told him, "And it was the same spell he used on Miss Evans?" she asked.

"Yes, the same on" Severus confirmed. Lily reached for his shirt, repairing and cleaning it while Severus instructed Madam Pomfrey in healing the damage, he couldn't heal it himself as the injury was on his back.

Once Madam Pomfrey had finished the necessary chanting, she cast several spells of her own, checking he was otherwise in good health. All she found was he was in need of a Blood Replenisher to give him a boost after the injury, and suggested a mild pain reliever to help with the residual soreness. These she summoned and handed to him, before returning to her office.

Lily stood, moving to stand in front of Severus, handing him his freshly repaired shirt, while trying not to stare at his bare chest. She never thought the first time she saw him like this would be in the Hospital Wing.

"Thank you" Severus said, taking the offered shirt. Lily nodded, failing to keep her eyes on his face. "What?" he asked, clearly amused at her staring.

"What?" she replied, quickly meeting his eyes, "Sorry" she mumbled.

"For what?" he asked. Lily blushed, resting her hand on his shoulder. She couldn't help but notice the faint scars on his chest. She ran her fingers gently over one of them.

"What happened?" she asked him softly.

"I think you already know" he said sadly, the hint of a smile leaving his lips. She sighed and nodded. Yes. She did know. His father, who else? She'd had no idea how bad things got in his house. Severus had instilled in her from the beginning of their friendship that his house was off limits. She would never meet Tobias Snape if Severus could help it.

Lily wrapped her arms around him, drawing him close as his arms went around her waist, his head resting on her chest, her fingers stroking the new scars on his back. After a few minutes he pulled himself away from her, searching her face with his dark eyes. Gently, she cupped his face with both hands, thumbs stroking his cheeks, leaning in to kiss him tenderly, his hands resting on her hips. She sighed as she pulled away, attempting to give him a reassuring smile.

"I think I should get dressed" he told her, though the smile returned to his face, "I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will be back soon" he added. Lily nodded, probably not the best idea to get caught kissing with one of them shirtless. Lily sat in the chair by the bed, giving him some space to get his repaired shirt and robes back on.

"Do you want to get out of here?" she asked him. Severus nodded.

"I don't feel too bad now, let's just check with Madam Pomfrey then we can leave" he said, offering her his hand. Lily took it gladly, rising from the chair as pushed back the curtain.

...

"Horace, we need to do something about Mr's Mulciber and Avery" Albus said to his Potions Master, sinking down into his chair.

"What do you suggest, Albus?" Horace asked.

"Their behaviour is unacceptable. They have attacked Mr Snape today, he is fortunate Miss Evans stumbled upon the scene when she did. It could have been much worse" Albus explained. Horace nodded, as usual "They have been issued with detentions, two weeks each, I trust you can find something suitable for them" he posed, raising an eyebrow. Horace nodded again.

"I just don't know what to do about them, Albus" Horace blustered, "I don't know how to get through to them!"

"You won't. They are clear with their intentions for the future, the same as their parents. We need to limit the damage" Albus explained.

"And keep him away from Mr Snape?" Horace queried. Albus nodded.

"Indeed, now more than ever"

"Is he still having these 'dreams'?" he asked.

"Yes, though it is sporadic. They seem to be moving along the same theme" he began.

"Oh?"

"Voldemort" he stated simply. Horace shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"In what way?"

"How we can fight against him"

"I see. And you still think these are actual memories?"

"Absolutely. And they seem to showing Severus information about Voldemort's quest for immortality" he stated, giving him a knowing look, he would understand. He knew of Tom Riddle's desire, he'd gone to Horace in the first place. Horace fiddled with the neckline of his robes.

"When you say 'immortality'" he began, "You mean as in creating the er... Horc..." he cut himself off.

"Horcruxes. Yes" Albus stated.

"Horcrux _es_?" he asked, looking slightly nervous. "How many, exactly?"

"That has not yet been revealed. All we know so far is that he was, indeed, successful. We know one of the items he used as a vessel, a way it can be destroyed, and where it can be found. Though we don't know _when_ it can be found" Albus explained carefully. Horace nodded slowly, clearly thinking over this information.

"So it's a waiting game then, Albus?" Horace asked quietly.

"I'm afraid so. Until we have more information, from _any_ of our sources, we are at a bit of a stalemate" he told him. Ever hopeful that Horace would one day reveal the true conversation he had with Riddle all those years ago, anything that would give him an idea exactly how many items he was going to need to find and destroy before the War could truly be brought to an end.

"And you still think that Severus is the key?" Horace asked him.

"I do. Which is why we need to keep him safe, Horace. I am doing what I can to work with him, develop his skills. He is powerful, or at least he will be. Of that I am certain. There are also a number of similarities between himself and Lord Voldemort - Severus is aware of this. If he is pushed too far, he could end up on the other side of the War. We can't let that happen, for his sake as much as anyone else's" Albus explained to Horace, though he knew he didn't fully grasp the complexities.

"Surely not, Albus?" he queried.

"If anyone is backed into a corner often enough, eventually they will fight back. He is adept at creating his own spells, he will freely admit he has an interest in the Dark Arts"

"That doesn't mean _he_ is dark, Albus"

"I quite agree. I do not believe Severus is dark. What I _do_ believe is that he has been targeted and abused in every area of his life. But at his core, he is good. He feels things very deeply, but he is used to burying his emotions, making him seem cold and detached, unapproachable..."

"Self-defence?" Horace asked.

"Yes. Apart from Miss Evans, he refuses to let anyone get close to him. She is the only person he trusts, though I think he is beginning to trust me"

"They are quite the team aren't they?" he chuckled. "Marvellous together in Potions" he added. Albus nodded, yes quite the team. For whatever reason, they seemed to need each other, each protecting the other from everyone else, from the world. From the memories they'd seen, losing her had set Severus on the path to light. If he lost her in this life, would he be able to say the same? Or if something were to happen to Lily Evans, would that be the final straw and shove Severus Snape into the darkness?

Albus Dumbledore did not want to find out the answer to that. But it was certain that both of them needed protecting, needed keeping well away from Mr Mulciber and Mr Avery before irreparable damage was done.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Lily made her way back to the Gryffindor common room. She'd been looking for Severus, but so far had had no luck finding him. Neither of them had lessons this morning and had planned to study, hopefully outside if the weather had been mild enough. Severus hadn't been at breakfast again, not _that_ unusual for him, he often forgot about meals, particularly if he was immersed in a book. What _was_ unusual, was that there was no answer at his room, or any sign of him in the library.

That left Lily with only two options as far as she could tell. She could either go to Dumbledore, or she could ask the Marauders. Neither option sounded particularly appealing. But eventually she settled on asking the Marauders first, if she had no luck with them, she would talk to the Headmaster. After all, it had only been a few days since Mulciber had sent him to the Hospital Wing, there was every chance he could have been targeted again.

"Remus, could I have a word please?" she asked quietly, thankful he was alone at the moment.

"Of course, Lily, sit down" he answered softly, indicating towards the seat opposite him at the table. "So, what can I do for you?" he asked. Lily took a deep breath.

"I can't find Severus anywhere" she told him.

"Oh? And you're coming to me because..?" he frowned.

"Look," she began, trying to speak as calmly as possible, "I know Potter's spying on him, I heard you all talking about it at the start of the year" she continued on. Remus looked down at his book, "I don't know how you're doing it, but I know you are"

"Lily, I've been telling them to leave you both alone" Remus said, finally looking back at her.

"I know" she nodded, "But the other day they found us outside Severus' room right after he'd been attacked by Mulciber and Avery. They didn't find us by accident" she explained.

"No," he admitted, shaking his head, "They saw Mulciber and Avery heading towards Snape's room, Potter still thinks they're all working together, but then he saw you heading their way"

"Potter thought it was a trap set up for me?" she asked, frowning.

"He doesn't trust Snape" Remus told her, looking guilty.

"Even after what happened to him?" she asked him, feeling more than a little annoyed.

"I don't know, Lily" he admitted, shrugging, "It's confused them, that's for sure." Lily sighed, typical. Sev was still a target for everyone.

"Look, I need help finding him right now. I'm worried the Slytherins might have got him again. If you know how this 'spying' thing works, can you please just do it and tell me where he is?" she pleaded, she needed to know, needed to make sure he was safe. Remus looked at her cautiously, as if trying to decide whether he should. Finally, he nodded, reaching into the folds of his robes, pulling out and unfolding a large piece of parchment.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" Remus practically whispered, tapping the parchment with his wand. Lily's jaw dropped as she saw a map of Hogwarts take shape on what was blank parchment a second ago, tiny named dots moving about.

"Remus, what is this?" she asked, amazed by what she saw.

"This is our map" he told her quietly. Lily scanned it carefully, she could see dots with her own name and Remus' in the common room, Potter, Black and Pettigrew still in the Great Hall, the Slytherins were locked away in their own dorm. But where was Severus? "Look, there" Remus suddenly indicated, "Astronomy tower"

"Astronomy tower? What on Earth would he be doing up there?" she asked, even more confused now.

"I guess you'll find out" he told her.

"Try not to let them come after him. Please" she asked, "I get a bad feeling about this"

"I'll do my best" he nodded.

"Thanks, Remus"

"Mischief managed" he muttered as he tapped the map, Lily stared as the parchment blanked itself once more, the lines, dots and names seeming to bleed away into nothingness.

Lily left the Common room as quickly as she could, practically sprinting down the corridors, making her way to the Tower before he could move somewhere else. If he was able to move somewhere else, if he wasn't hurt. She had no idea what he could be doing up there, it wasn't the sort of place you went for a morning stroll.

Finally at the Astronomy tower, and slightly out of breath from the mad dash, she slowed down, carefully peeking around the area, trying to find Severus. Eventually, she saw him, back against the wall, knees bent with arms wrapped around them, head bent low, resting on his limbs. Cautiously, she approached him, not sure if he was hurt, or asleep, or just deep in thought.

"Sev?" she whispered, crouching down in front of him. Slowly, he lifted his face to hers, meeting her eyes sadly. She'd seen that look before. Sad. Hopeless. "What happened?" she asked, softly stroking his hair. He shook his head slightly, shrugging. "Dream?" she asked, it was the only time she ever saw him like this. Slowly, he nodded, closing his eyes, "Do you want to talk about it?" Severus opened his eyes again, fighting back tears.

"I am a horrible person, Lily" he choked out, shaking his head.

"No, you're not. Not at all" she whispered, stroking his face, "What would make you say that?"

"I dreamt that my father was killed" he whispered. Lily frowned.

"How?" she asked him cautiously.

"In a stupid, drunken fight after getting thrown out of a pub" he told her. Lily took a deep breath.

"So, how does that make you a bad person?" she asked him, not understanding in the slightest. Now, if he said _he_ murdered him, snapping after a lifetime of abuse, well...

"Because I don't want to change it" he said, closing his eyes again. "I don't want to tell them" he went on, "I hate the man" he whispered.

"That's understandable, he's done so much to you, and your Mum" she told him, fighting back her own tears.

"But I'm supposed to be changing things" he told her, "If I'm being sent this, it's for a reason. I'm supposed to tell them, aren't I?" he asked, his eyes fixing on hers again. "But I keep thinking that we'd be better off without him, and..." he trailed off, burying his face again.

"Only you can decide what to do with the information, Sev. It doesn't make you a bad person" she told him gently.

"If I don't tell, it makes me as much to blame. It might as well be me killing him" he snapped.

"But it's not you. You wouldn't do that" she tried to assure him, "Look at me, Sev. Please?" she asked him. Gradually he lifted his head to look at her again, still looking distraught. "It's not your fault, Sev. And it won't be your fault, either" she told him softly. She didn't know what else to say to him, so simply wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close to her. In silence.

...

Severus pulled himself away from Lily's embrace. The memory from last night playing in his head. And no matter what she said, whatever reassurances she gave, gentle touches she bestowed, he felt disgusting. Not what he'd seen. He'd seen the funeral, taking place in winter. He'd seen his mother distraught, sobbing over the death of a man who'd beaten and abused her, robbed her of her magic, and had robbed their son of his childhood.

Severus wanted him dead. He hated his father for every foul word he'd uttered at them both, every raised fist, every kick, every thrash of the belt he'd received. He didn't want to change this memory, so he didn't want to tell anyone. That made him feel worthless. Ashamed that he wanted another human being dead.

He didn't deserve Lily's comfort, he knew that. He didn't deserve her at all, didn't deserve her care, her affection. She was too kind, too understanding and compassionate. How could someone like her possibly love someone like him? Even though he pulled away from her, she continued stroking his hair, his face, the gentleness in her gaze told him she loved him. Whether he felt he deserved it or not, she wasn't going anywhere. Severus sighed as his thoughts continued swirling.

"I have to tell someone, don't I?" he whispered softly. He knew he did. He had to be the better man. He had to be better for Lily, if not for himself. Lily moved to sit next to him, and Severus slipped his arm around her shoulder.

"That is something only you can decide, Sev" she told him quietly

"Would you tell, if you were me?" he asked her.

"Probably" she finally admitted. Severus nodded. "When is it supposed to happen?" she asked him.

"Around Christmas or New Year, I think" he told her quietly.

"So, you still have time to think about what you want to do" she said, "You don't have to decide this minute" she added. Severus sighed, nodding again. Personally, he felt he should decide as quickly as possible so he didn't have to think about it anymore. "You could just brush this off as a regular dream and not think about it again, you could send your Mum an owl and let her know, or you could talk to Dumbledore" she reasoned.

"I'm not sure I can pretend it was a regular dream, Lily. I think I have to tell my Mum in some way. I don't know if I could live with myself if I didn't" he didn't think he could cope with the guilt if he knew his father was going to die and he didn't at least mention it, "I'm not sure about sending an owl though, if he was there when it arrived I don't know what he'd do to my Mum" she'd most likely get a beating if a Hogwarts owl showed up at the house.

"You could ask Dumbledore if you can send a letter home using the Muggle post" Lily suggested.

"That could work" he admitted, nodding slowly, "Though of course, there's always the possibility they'll ignore it even if I do tell them" they probably would in all honesty.

"But at least you'll have tried. If you tell them something's going to happen and he ignores it, it will be his decision" she said gently. That was true, if they ignored him he wouldn't _really_ have failed. His father would know what he was getting himself into, it wouldn't be his fault. Severus wouldn't have to feel guilty.

"So, I need to talk to Dumbledore about it then" he said quietly. Lily nodded. That seemed to be fairly common over the last six months. Severus found himself needing to talk to the Headmaster. He didn't know what it was, when he started trusting him, seeking him out to discuss the things in his head. He'd never had an adult in his life before that he trusted, that he 'could' go to. And Dumbledore seemed more than keen to encourage him to do exactly that. Almost eager to have Severus come to him to discuss whatever plagued his thoughts, his dreams. His memories. Or maybe it wasn't about him at all, maybe it was purely these memories of Voldemort that Dumbledore was after.

Any way Severus looked at it, he needed Dumbledore, he wasn't going to figure it out by himself. Maybe giving Dumbledore his memories was a fair exchange for the support he got in return.

...

"Moony!" James Potter called out as he made his way into the Gryffindor common room, Sirius and Peter following behind.

"James, guys. Everything ok?" Remus asked them as they joined him at the table, though they remained standing.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. Do you have the map?" James asked him. Remus sighed.

"What do you want the map for?" Remus asked.

"Well, Snivelly wasn't at breakfast, we want to know what he's up to" Sirius informed him, matter of fact.

"Look, this is getting stupid. Can't you just leave Snape alone for once?" Remus asked.

"We know something isn't right" James stated, "I just need to find out what" he explained casually. Remus heard himself sigh again.

"Whatever is going on, it's not our business" Remus told them calmly.

"But what if Lily gets hurt" James pointed out.

"She's not going to get hurt, not by Snape anyway. I think that's fairly obvious" Remus snapped.

"But it doesn't add up!" Sirius practically yelled.

"He's right, he was getting in with the Death Eaters, then appeared to suddenly change his mind, that doesn't make sense for a start" James informed him.

"Maybe he grew up. Or realised that if he wanted to be with Lily, he couldn't be with them. He had to make a choice" Remus said calmly.

"And there's all these _meetings_ with Dumbledore, it's probably detention" James huffed.

"It could be detention, or it could genuinely be meetings, guidance, I don't know" Remus admitted, it was strange for the Headmaster to get so involved personally with one student.

"And he's not been in the Slytherin dorms since term started" Sirius added.

"Maybe Dumbledore had to move him" Remus said.

"Yeah, because he's dangerous" Potter chipped in.

"Or maybe it's because of the others. Mary said Mulciber went after Lily to punish Snape, and you found them after they hurt him the other day" Remus pointed out, that would make more sense. There were four other boys in that dorm who were definitely going to become Death Eaters, they were proud of that fact. If Snape had turned his back on them, that would make him a target. He needed to be moved for his own safety.

"I still don't like it" James whispered, "Just let me have a quick look at the map, Moony"

"Fine" Remus sighed, fishing in his robes to remove the parchment. James carefully unfolded and tapped it with his wand, muttering their incantation, the Marauders map revealed itself to the group of boys. All four of them immediately scanning for a tiny dot labelled 'Severus Snape'. Remus saw it straight away, saying nothing as the others continued the search.

"Astronomy tower?" Sirius questioned, pointing to the dots, Lily Evans right next to Severus Snape.

"Maybe he's going to do us a favour and chuck himself off" James smirked, Sirius grinned in return, Peter sniggered. Remus merely shook his head, it really was getting ridiculous.

"Shall we pay them a visit, Prongs?" Sirius posed, raising an eyebrow.

"No" Remus cut in, "Just leave them alone"

"What? But where's the fun in that?" James asked.

"Just leave them be. You're getting obsessed" Remus told him

"Obsessed?" James asked, looking confused.

"Yes, you're constantly watching him on that map, following him, talking about him" Remus pointed out.

"Come on, I'm not that bad" James protested.

"Well, almost" Sirius laughed.

"Just sit down, leave them alone. Do some studying or something" Remus instructed, even though it was futile.

"I just don't trust him" he said quietly.

"Don't trust him? Or don't like it that Lily does?" Remus asked, he knew Lily Evans was a huge part of why James had it in for Snape, and Sirius was more than happy to accompany James in tormenting him. James sighed, finally sitting down at the table, Sirius and Peter following the lead.

"Fine. I'll leave it alone this time" James conceded. Remus took a deep breath, watching the map as two little dots left the Astronomy tower, making their way back into the main part of the castle, heading towards the library.

"Can we put this away now?" Remus asked. James nodded reluctantly, wiping the map. Remus folded it up, tucking it back in his robes, turning his attention back to his book. The other three Marauders headed off to retrieve their own things, finally agreeing that study was the best option for the morning. Remus took more deep breaths, amazed he had actually managed to stop James and Sirius going off after Snape, they never usually listened to him. And he was even more amazed that he had got through the discussion without letting them know that he'd revealed the map to Lily. For some reason, he felt that bit of information was better kept to himself. For a start they wouldn't like their secrets revealed to a non-Marauder, especially not the girlfriend of Severus Snape. One wrong move on their part and she would most likely tell McGonagall, finding away to get the map confiscated.

It was only going to get more difficult from here though. Remus sighed again, once more giving his full attention to the book in his hands.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

 _Severus followed Lucius Malfoy through Malfoy Manor to his study. Lucius calling a house elf, demanding elf-made wine to be brought immediately. Severus mentally rolled his eyes at the display in front of him, Lucius practically behaving as if he were royalty, obnoxious attitude, superiority complex, Lording himself over anyone and everyone. Severus accepted the goblet of wine graciously, time to play the part again._

 _"So, you wished to speak with me, Lucius?" Severus queried._

 _"Indeed" he nodded, "What a fiasco that was"_

 _"Why did you not inform me of your plan beforehand, Lucius?" Severus asked him calmly. Lucius sighed. "Perhaps next time you wish to unleash mayhem at the school, you could let me know" he suggested with a raised eyebrow. "Did you honestly think Dumbledore could be got rid of so easily?" he asked, he needed to find out what Lucius knew about the Diary, the reason for opening the Chamber._

 _"Well, I had hoped that we would be able to get him away from the school, perhaps get someone more suitable for our needs in place" he explained. Severus arched an eyebrow._

 _"Dumbledore is cunning, Lucius. You know the Dark Lord feared him, if he were so easy to dispose of we would already have done it" he told him, sipping the wine carefully._

 _"Perhaps" he conceded._

 _"What exactly was the Diary, Lucius?" he asked, he had to at least try and find out._

 _"I'm not entirely sure. The Dark Lord gave it to me years ago, to keep hold of until the time was right. I was told it would open the Chamber of Secrets" Lucius told him. Well he was partially right._

 _"And you believed this was the right time?"_

 _"After what happened to Harry Potter last year, I had hoped that it would make its way to him"_

 _"You believed you could harm Harry Potter right under Dumbledore's nose?" Severus asked him, groaning internally. Harry Bloody Potter. Of course they would be after him._

 _"Not especially, but it was worth an attempt though. And it would have worked had Dobby not interfered. Though, Draco tells me some of Potter's friends were injured in the incident, including that Mudblood, Granger" he spat. Severus didn't react, couldn't react to that word, not here._

 _"Yes, the girl was petrified but made a full recovery" Severus told him._

 _"Pity" Lucius sniffed, "Nothing but trouble"_

 _"New house elf, Lucius?" Severus queried._

 _"Hmm. Dobby has been the biggest cause of trouble in this disaster. He went to Potter, has been helping Potter all year" he whispered angrily._

 _"What happened to him?" Severus asked curiously. Dead no doubt._

 _"Free"_

 _"Free? Are you quite ill, Lucius?" Severus remarked._

 _"Potter, handed me something with clothing inside, which I passed to Dobby" he growled._

 _"That is unfortunate" he replied. And funny, his mind added. Lucius Malfoy, fearsome Death Eater, outsmarted by a twelve year old. Maybe the little Potter did have some of his mother in him after all. Either way he would keep on protecting the boy. The annoying miniature James Potter with Lily's eyes was going to be the bane of his existence, for the rest of his life. But he would do it. He would keep the boy safe for Lily. It was the only thing that he could do._

 _..._

The autumn was fast becoming winter as November began, the weather crisp and clear, but seeming colder each day. The Castle itself seemed colder, as if ice were in the centre of the stone blocks that made the walls.

For Severus, it was business as usual, another meeting in Dumbledore's office, an office which was warm and cosy no matter the season outside. And once again, they were discussing memories.

"So, we know a little more about this Diary then, Severus" Dumbledore began.

"We know he had it for years before that event. He could have it at Malfoy Manor now" Severus suggested.

"That is entirely likely. We are in the middle of a War, it is possible that he's hidden any pieces of his soul in separate places"

"Mmm. Safer apart than together, so if anyone finds out about one of them, there will always be others he can use. It's like some kind of twisted jigsaw puzzle" he frowned, shaking his head.

"Indeed. The soul is not meant to be fragmented, Severus. It should be left whole, intact. If it is torn, one can never be truly human"

"He's not entirely human anymore, is he?" Severus asked. He certainly didn't behave with any shred of humanity.

"Well, it's safe to say he started off human, but circumstances in his childhood left him bitter, angry and resentful. Cruel" Dumbledore told him sadly. Severus could understand that. Hadn't he felt that way at one point too? Hadn't he once planned to follow the same path to madness? He shook his head.

"And then he started tearing his soul?"

"Yes. And with each tearing, he reached a new level of madness. He has no remorse, no pity, no ability to care for anyone. All he cares about is ensuring he is protected from death" Dumbledore said. Severus sank back into his thoughts, that sounded nothing like himself, he did feel remorse, he did feel guilt. And he definitely cared. He loved.

"Does he have that house elf already? Dobby?" Severus asked.

"Most likely. House elves are bound to a family for eternity, until their death, or they are freed" Dumbledore nodded.

"Perhaps Dobby can be of assistance at some point. He obviously turned against the Malfoy's in the future. We need a way to get that Diary"

"That will be tricky. We cannot just walk into Malfoy Manor and remove it, nor can we go purely to visit their house elf"

"No. Can't the Aurors retrieve it? Get a warrant, search the Manor for dark artefacts?" Severus asked.

"Ordinarily yes. But this is not an ordinary object. If Malfoy was aware it had been removed, then Voldemort will be made aware. If He thinks someone suspects what he has done, then he will hide the other pieces more thoroughly, or begin making more of them. Either way, it will make the job more difficult, and possibly render any other memories you receive obsolete" he explained. Severus nodded. Not liking it, but understanding the Headmaster's logic. It was like a giant game of chess, making the right moves at the right time to get all the pieces where they needed to be, when they needed to be there. "For now, Severus, we watch and we wait. We know the Diary is safe, we know it won't be used for a number of years. It doesn't need to be our primary focus" he explained. Severus hoped that other memories would give them clues they could act on sooner. He didn't like waiting for the right time. There were too many other things they were waiting around for.

He was waiting to see if anything happened to his father, whether the letter he'd sent to his mother made any difference. And he still hated himself for hoping it didn't. For hoping that he could have his father out his life once and for all.

And he couldn't help but feel he was waiting for Lily to leave him. For Potter. James Fucking Potter. The boy he'd seen mentioned in the memories, the boy Lily died to protect. Her son. Potter's son. The boy he would protect himself, who was with him when he died. He knew things were different now, but how different could they truly be?

...

Lily sat at the back of the library, pouring over her Charms essay, working her way methodically through the scraps of notes she had, books piled hap-hazard across the table. Lily was alone for the moment, waiting for Severus to join her after his usual meeting with the Headmaster. A couple of tables away, Remus was sat, engrossed in his own homework, a few Slytherins huddled together in a corner. She made sure to avoid looking at them, no point getting drawn into anything.

Suddenly, Severus bustled in, hurrying towards her, robes billowing behind him. Frowning. She offered him a smile, he just sank into the chair beside her with a heavy sigh. Severus leaned forwards on the desk, face down. Lily wasn't sure whether she should be worried or amused, she could see Remus glancing over with a curious expression. Cautiously, she reached over to touch his shoulder.

"Is everything ok?" she whispered, leaning in to him closely. Severus nodded slowly, reaching his hand under the table to touch her knee.

"Mmm. Just tired" he mumbled. He sounded tired. Slowly, he sat up again, finally meeting her gaze.

"Why don't you go back to your room, lie down for a bit?" she suggested.

"No. I want to take a look at something, in the Restricted Section" he told her quietly.

"Oh? Is this about...?" she trailed off, not entirely sure they should mention anything in the library. Severus nodded.

"Slughorn signed a slip for me, in case I find something I want to look at more closely. He knows I like to research things" he said raising an eyebrow.

"Does he know?" she asked.

"Dumbledore was going to fill him in, but he hasn't said anything to me. I suspect they both know more than Dumbledore has told me. It's frustrating" he admitted quietly. She could understand that, it didn't seem like the Headmaster wanted to share his guesses just yet. It didn't seem fair to keep Severus in the dark like that.

"Let's go and take a look then" she said, heading off to the Restricted Section, homework abandoned for the time being. Severus followed close behind as they scanned through the books. Lily hated this section, you just never knew what the books contained. Some seemed harmless enough, they'd made use of some of them before. But she couldn't shake the feeling of unease that descended every time they opened the books. Like there was a reason they were restricted in the first place. Gradually, she started opening the books that looked the least dangerous, scanning for anything to do with souls.

"I had another one" he finally whispered. She moved closer to him.

"Oh? What happened?" she asked quietly.

"Not much, but I've had more confirmation that he's splitting his soul. It's making him less human" he whispered.

"That's... disturbing" she said, frowning.

"Definitely. I just wish we knew what he'd done. Or how many pieces he's made. We need to know what we're up against" he told her.

"You're really going to have a part in this, aren't you?" she asked, worried where it was going to go.

"I don't think I have a choice, Lily. All this information is coming to me. I have to do something" he said quietly. Lily nodded, she knew he did, he was as stubborn as they came. Severus wasn't one to sit back and do nothing regardless. And he was wanting to fight to take down Voldemort. He didn't want to fight _for_ Him.

"I know. I'm just worried about you. It's dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt" she told him. She saw his face soften as he nodded.

"I'd rather not get hurt either. But if I do nothing then you could get hurt, and that's not a chance I'm willing to take" he whispered. She smiled then, it seemed each of them only wanted to keep the other safe. Safe from the world, safe from Voldemort. But they couldn't hide away forever, in a year and a half school would be over, they wouldn't have the protection of Hogwarts on a daily basis. Then life would get even more dangerous, and there would be nowhere to hide.

The War was only going to rage on, and get more dangerous. Every wizard would be dragged into it, whether they wanted to or not, on Voldemort's side or the other. Unless they could figure out his secrets now, and take away the power he had. Nobody would be safe until Voldemort was gone permanently. And Severus' memories would give them the best chance they could get.

"Let's get searching then" she told him, reaching to squeeze his hand before they returned their attentions to the books. After what seemed like hours, she heard Severus let out a frustrated sigh.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"I just don't think we're going to find anything" he said, sounding defeated. "I get the feeling he doesn't want anyone else to find out about this, whatever it is" he added.

"Perhaps. It does sound like something pretty sinister. If _He_ asked questions about it before, maybe Dumbledore wanted to remove that temptation from anyone else" she reasoned. That would make sense, You-Know-Who wasn't the only Dark Wizard in the world. He wasn't the first, and he wouldn't be the last.

"But how do we fight it if we don't understand it?" Severus asked.

"Does Dumbledore understand it?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. He has theories, but he won't share them with me" he frowned.

"Maybe he will. Plus you never know what else you'll see. Maybe Dumbledore has several different theories but not enough information to fully commit to one of them" he wouldn't want to give Severus false hope after all.

"Maybe" he sighed, "I just hate the waiting" he admitted.

"I know. We both need to be patient" she said, raising her eyebrow.

"Both?"

"Yes, both. I know you're not telling me everything, I don't know if it's because it's difficult to talk about, or if you don't trust me" she said, feeling suddenly insecure. Severus put his book down, reaching for her hand.

"It's difficult to talk about. Difficult to wrap my head around. But never think I don't trust you. You are the only one I trust completely" he told her, looking straight in her eyes. Slowly, she nodded. She believed him, there was too much emotion, too much sincerity in his voice for him to mean otherwise.

"And I trust you. I just hope you'll be able to talk to me about it one day" she whispered, not entirely sure he ever would.

"Perhaps" he said quietly, he didn't look convinced either.

"So, we both need to be patient. I trust you and you'll tell me when the time is right. You trust Dumbledore and he'll tell you when the time is right." she reasoned with him. If the memories were anything to go by, they still had time to be patient. Severus nodded reluctantly

"It's still hard though" he sighed.

"I know. But it will be ok" she smiled. She still believed that. They would do it, they would figure it out. And Severus would keep her safe. Just as she would him.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"Remind me again why we're doing this, Lily" Severus teased, pulling his scarf more snugly against his neck.

"Because it's good to show support to our Houses" she told him, smiling, rubbing her hands against her arms to keep herself warm.

"It's bloody freezing out here!" he snapped half-heartedly. It really was freezing, it was the end of November now and the wind was bitterly cold. The last thing he wanted was to be sat outside watching Quidditch. A bunch of idiots flying around on brooms, whacking around a bunch of flying balls. And why was he here? Lily. Obviously.

"Well, we'll just have to keep each other warm then, won't we?" she smirked, stretching her arms out to him. _Ah well, there was a plus,_ he thought to himself, wrapping his arms around her to hold her close. Severus closed his eyes, resting his cheek against her head, feeling himself warming a little as he felt her body pressed tightly against him, Lily's arms holding him just as tightly in return.

He was vaguely aware of the whistle blowing, signifying the start of the match. He cracked an eye open, not really paying attention to the players zipping around over the pitch, not listening to the commentary. He noticed the scoreboard change 10-0 in favour of Gryffindor.

"Your team has scored" he whispered in her ear, spectators around them cheering.

"Hmm?" he heard her mumble into his chest. Severus looked down at her face then, she had both eyes closed, and not paying attention to the match in the slightest.

"I thought you wanted to watch this, Lily" he said, smiling teasingly at her.

"It's cold"

"Really?" he smirked. Lily opened her eyes then, as Slytherin tied the score at 10-10.

"Ooh, tied game, Sev"

"Hmm. I get the feeling this could take a while" he said. Lily started paying more attention to the game then, keeping her eye on the Gryffindor team. Another goal for Gryffindor and they pulled ahead. Next thing he knew, Gryffindor was ahead 30-10. He didn't really care in all honesty. It sometimes felt like he wasn't a member of Slytherin anymore. He knew he _was_ a Slytherin, he didn't 'fit' anywhere else, not that he could be put anywhere else. Not now anyway. But he didn't 'fit' with the other Slytherins either, the majority of them. Particularly the four he'd had to share a dorm with for five years.

"Ooh, 30-20 Sev" she told him as Potter flew past. Severus tried to push down his feelings, his hope that the Slytherin beaters would send a bludger his way. Would serve him right if it did, _fat headed show off_.

"Mmm" he mumbled, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Let's go back inside, Sev" she said.

"So soon" he teased. Lily laughed, grabbing his hand leading him away towards the stairs.

"Well you know I don't really care about Quidditch" she giggled as they continued their journey down. A cheer erupted from the Gryffindor stand.

"It sounds like your team have scored again" he pointed out. Lily shrugged, brushing it off. He laughed at her then. Perhaps it was the cold that did it, she usually paid more attention than that when Gryffindor were playing. Not that he was complaining, he didn't care for Quidditch when the weather was pleasant, but on a day like this he'd much rather be reading in a comfortable chair by the fire.

They were soon back in the Castle, it was warmer here than outside, but it was eerily quiet with the majority of students and teachers out watching the match. They made their way to the Great Hall, a table had been set up with hot drinks, definitely needed on a day like this. Lily smiled as she saw the spread, helping herself to hot chocolate and a freshly baked cookie before taking a seat at the Gryffindor table. Severus did the same, sighing contentedly as he sipped his drink.

"This is much better" she told him, smiling brightly as she sipped her hot chocolate.

"Definitely. It's so peaceful in here"

"It almost feels like we have the whole Castle to ourselves" she grinned. That it did, it was hard to imagine anyone else was there.

"So what shall we do with the Castle to ourselves?" he asked her, "Something crazy?"

"Crazy, eh? I don't think we've ever done crazy before" she laughed.

"Or, we could do some homework" he suggested.

"Ooh, crazy" she grinned at him. "Well, we do still have that Potions essay to do" she added more seriously.

"We could go to my room and work on it" he suggested.

"Am I allowed in your room?" she asked.

"I would have thought so, unless Dumbledore has set the wards to stop anyone else going in there"

"Only one way to find out" she shrugged.

"True. Come on then" he said, quickly finishing his drink, reaching for her hand once she had finished her own drink.

...

Lily watched as Severus gave the password to the portrait guarding his room and stepped through. Severus turned to face her then, holding his hand out to her, Lily stepped forwards apprehensively, unsure what would happen. Would she be allowed to enter, the same way girls were allowed in the boys dorms? Or would the wards keep her from entering? If she was stopped, would it hurt?

Cautiously, she reached her hand towards him, taking another step closer to the doorway. Another step, and she was over the threshold. She was allowed in. Lily released her breath heavily, smiling as she realised it was ok. She pushed the door closed behind her with a click, glancing around the room. It hardly looked like anyone lived there it was so tidy, bed neatly made, desk clear apart from an inkwell and two books stacked in one corner. No clothes strewn about the place. Nothing like the girls dormitories, there was always something lying around - clothes, hairbrushes, make up. And she suspected the boys dorms were even worse, not that she had any desire to ever find out.

"Take a seat" he told her, indicating towards the desk. She nodded, removing her scarf and cloak, hanging them on a hook by the door before sitting at the desk.

"Nice room" she finally said.

"Yes, much better than being in the dorms" he nodded.

"I'll bet. I'm guessing the others are messier than you" she teased.

"Obviously," he said, rolling his eyes, "They're complete pigs" he added.

"You're a lot tidier than me" she told him, suddenly insecure. What if he couldn't cope with mess?

"You're not that bad" he laughed.

"Have you seen the table when we're doing our homework?" she frowned, biting her lip. Whenever they were together the table always ended up covered, books, parchment, notes. Everywhere. And her room? Well, she always had good intentions, but she didn't always pack clothes away immediately. Nor did she always make the bed.

"You do know I love you, don't you Lily?" he asked softly, smiling warmly at her.

"But I'm not this tidy" she said, still worried. Severus sat on the bed in front of the chair, reaching to cup her face with one hand, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"Lily, why do you think that matters?" he asked. Lily blushed, averting her gaze, not really sure how to answer without sounding like a lunatic. They were sixteen and from what she'd heard from the other girls in her dorm, boys didn't think about the future the same way as girls did. They didn't want to think about commitment. "Lily, we've been studying together for years, I've stayed at your house, I've seen your room. Has it ever been a problem?" he asked quietly. Lily shook her head, meeting his eyes again.

"But what if it becomes a problem? Later" she asked.

"It won't" he said, smiling. "I love you. All of you. And I always will" he told her sincerely. "And anyway, who's to say that living with me wouldn't drive you insane?" he posed.

"It wouldn't" she replied quickly.

"You say that now" he smirked.

"It wouldn't" she said again. "You know I love you too, right?" she asked. Severus nodded, leaning in to kiss her gently. Maybe not all boys were against commitment then. Maybe Severus was different. Lily sighed as he pulled away from her, smiles finding both of their faces again.

"So, homework?" he said.

"Mmm. Can I borrow some parchment to make some notes?" she asked.

"Top drawer" he said to her, she pulled out a sheet and one of the quills. Severus grabbed one of the books and sat back down on the bed. He wouldn't need to do much research, he knew so much already. Lily started jotting down ideas, things she could flesh out later, different potions she could compare. The task, to discuss three different sleeping potions - their advantages and disadvantages.

The two of them worked in silence, him reading his own book, her making notes. Trying to keep the desk tidy as she opened a couple of his books, flipping through comparing the texts. A sudden knock at the door made both of them jump.

"Mr Snape, are you in there?" came Professor McGonagall's voice.

"Yes, Professor" he answered, quickly moving to open the door, "Is there something wrong?" he asked as he came face to face with Gryffindor Head of House.

"No, nothing's wrong. Ah, Miss Evans, you're here" Lily got up, turning to face her Professor.

"Did you need me, Professor?" she asked worriedly.

"Just checking everything is ok" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, just working on our potions essay" Lily told her.

"Perhaps the library would make a better study place" McGonagall suggested.

"Am I in trouble, Professor?" she asked.

"No, Miss Evans. Just some of your housemates are concerned. There were worried about your disappearance" she sighed. _Yeah, of course they were_.

"I haven't disappeared, I wanted to get my homework done in peace" she explained.

"I don't suppose it was Potter that told you where we were, was it?" Severus asked quietly. Of course it would be, Potter and his stupid map. Professor McGonagall sighed.

"Well, they have been spying on Severus for, who knows how long really" Lily said, folding her arms defensively.

"They?" she asked.

"Potter and Black mostly. Remus knows about it. He says he's been trying to stop them" Lily told her.

"Be that as it may, perhaps moving to the library for now would be the most sensible option"

"Fine, let me just get my notes together" Lily sighed.

"Very well." And with that, Professor McGonagall left them, trusting them to leave his room and work somewhere 'public'. But it was so tempting to shut the door and say 'stuff Potter' if he saw them on his sodding map. They weren't doing anything wrong.

Lily quickly gathered her parchment, tidying the books as best she could, trying to leave the desk as neat as she found it when she got there. She carried her cloak over her arm as she left, it wasn't that cold now. The two of them quickly heading for the library, avoiding the students that had started to fill the Castle now that the Quidditch match was over.

...

"Evans! There you are!" came Potter's voice ringing out as she stepped through the portrait hole.

"You!" she snapped, anger immediately ignited "You've got some nerve talking to me after what you did!" she yelled, marching over to him.

"What? What did I do?" he asked innocently.

"You know damn well what!" she huffed, "Spying on me, on Severus. Sending McGonagall to his room!"

"We weren't spying" he protested.

"Yes, you were. You and that bloody map!" she snapped. Potter's smile faltered.

"What map?"

"You know what map. I've seen it, I've heard you. I'm not stupid!" she told him, "You saw on your stupid map that I was with Severus and you sent McGonagall to his room, didn't you?" she already knew the answer, but it was satisfying seeing him squirm.

"I was worried" he said quietly.

"No, you weren't, don't give me that. You don't like it that I spend time with Sev. If I'm with him, no one needs to worry, he's not going to hurt me. When will you get that through your skull!" she shouted.

"He might not hurt you, but..." he trailed off. Lily frowned.

"And that would be none of your business" she told him flatly.

"Well, what were you doing with him, in his bedroom?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but working on our potions essays"

"Oh" he whispered, face flushing. "Why in his room?"

"Because it's quiet. And we don't have to spend our time looking over our shoulders for the Slytherins. Or you lot" she pointed out, looking at the other boys in the group.

"I did try and stop him, Lily" Remus told her sadly. Lily nodded, no doubt he did try.

"I told McGonagall you've been spying on us" she finally said.

"You didn't tell her about the map, did you?" Black asked, looking worried.

"No, I didn't tell her about your map" Potter and Black both sighed, presumably with relief, "But if you keep spying on us, or I get a hold of it, I'm turning it over to McGonagall" she told them.

"You wouldn't!" Potter protested.

"Either that or I'll burn the bloody thing!" she snapped. Potter shrank away from her, looking miserable, before finally nodding.

Lily made her way up the stairs to the dorm then, eager for some time alone to calm down. She'd barely thrown her cloak down on the bed before the door opened again, sighing as Mary and Alice made their way into the room.

"Are they really spying on you and Snape?" Mary asked. Lily nodded.

"Yes. That's how they knew he'd been moved to his own room, how they got to us so fast when Mulciber and Avery attacked him" she told them.

"They've got a map?" Alice asked.

"Yes, I've seen it. A map of Hogwarts, it shows you where everybody is at that time"

"Clever" Mary commented.

"Yes" Lily conceded, it was clever, "But it's still spying"

"And they sent McGonagall to fetch you from Snape's room?" Alice asked grinning.

"We were doing our homework" Lily said.

"Really?" Alice asked suspiciously.

"Yes, really. I don't know why everyone is so worried about my safety when I'm with Severus"

"It's just strange, Lily. He has all these meetings with Dumbledore, he gets moved to his own room. It's just fishy. Potter thinks it's because he's dangerous" Mary told her. Lily sighed, of course that opinion would come from Potter.

"Look, I can't go into all the reasons. I know about the meetings, I've been there for some of them. He's been moved from the dorms for his own safety, the others are dangerous. That's all you need to know" she told them calmly. Finally the two girls nodded, getting up to leave them room, leaving her alone once more.

...

"So, we're all set for the next Hogsmeade weekend?" Avery asked the other boys in the group. Slowly they nodded.

"We'll wait until we catch sight of them, then we get hold of Snape" Evan Rosier continued.

"Give him a final ultimatum" Charles Wilkes added.

"Lucius will meet us there, to help _persuade_ him" Stephen Mulciber sneered.

"I don't get why we're still trying to get him over to our side though" Wilkes said, "I mean, he's made it clear he stands with the Mudblood"

"True" Mulciber nodded, "But there's something suspicious going on. Such a sudden change of heart, meetings with Dumbledore. Snape knows something. And we need to know what it is" he told the group. "And Lucius still believes he'd be a worthy addition to the cause." The others nodded.

"So, we're just after Snape this time?" Avery asked.

"This time, yes. We grab Snape, let the Mudblood go" Mulciber confirmed. "Make sure she keeps out of the way"

"And if she fights back?" Rosier asked.

"Then give her some pain" Mulciber stated as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

December began just as crisp and cold as November had ended. It wouldn't be long before the snow started, maybe another week or two, or maybe a few days if the bite in the wind was anything to go by.

Lily wasn't keen on snow, not if you had to go outside in any case, it was fine if you could stay inside keeping warm and dry, and cosy by the fire with hot chocolate. Today however, was a Hogsmeade day, a day to spend with Severus, a day to complete her Christmas shopping. Not that she knew what to buy for her family. She wanted to get each of them something from the Wizarding world, but that would not sit well with Petunia. Perhaps she should just get her something simple when she returned home for the holidays. Or maybe she should stay here this year. Severus never went home at Christmas and she could barely stand the thought of leaving him behind. Not now. But she missed her Mum and Dad, and didn't think they would be too pleased if she didn't join them.

Lily and Severus were wrapped up warmly as they wandered the village, cloaks, scarves, hats all pulled close, gloved hands holding each other's tightly as they went from shop to shop, pausing to look in shop windows, trying to decide which shops to go inside. They had spent the morning glancing at various trinkets, Lily had eventually chosen a pretty necklace for her mother, nothing too extravagant but she knew she would like it, she saw a bracelet she thought Petunia might like. She still didn't buy it though, the thought that it had come from a magical shop would probably get the item thrown back in her face as if it carried a curse. But she had managed to find a couple of interesting books for Severus, purchased while he was occupied flicking through a book himself. And both of them had bought a small selection of treats from Honeydukes. A part of her thought about slipping Petunia a Cockroach Cluster, just to see the look on her face. Or perhaps getting Vernon to open a Chocolate Frog, just to see his head explode in frustration as his fat hands grasped at the chocolate treat hopping away.

Gradually they headed towards the Three Broomsticks to warm up with some butterbeer, and hopefully lunch. After that, all that remained was to head back to the castle. The clouds were building up and the temperature dropping, it seemed, by the minute. She'd definitely prefer to be at the Castle, most of the students were in Hogsmeade shopping so it would be practically deserted, apart from the younger years and a few teachers.

Lily pushed through the crowded inn to find a small table, shoving her bags on the seat beside her. Glancing around she could see her friends in various groups - Alice and Mary with a couple of their friends from Ravenclaw, Remus with Peter Pettigrew at another table (which meant Potter and Black would be somewhere nearby). Over in the far corner sat some of the Slytherins - Mulciber, Avery and Rosier. And Mulciber was staring straight at her with an unreadable expression on his face. She swallowed down the fear that bubbled up, Mulciber smirked as he turned his attention back to his group. She didn't like it, this wasn't the kind of place they usually hung out it, they were usually in the Hog's Head. If they were here, they were either waiting for her, or for Severus. Or both of them. The sooner they could get back to the Castle, the better. Though, she could see Professor's McGonagall and Flitwick over at another table, at least she knew where to look for help if it came to that.

Suddenly Severus was back at the table, placing mugs of warm butterbeer in front of them, before sliding into the seat next to her, slipping an arm around her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, obviously noticing her uneasy expression.

"It's not like _them_ to be in here" she whispered back to him, turning her gaze momentarily to the table of Slytherins.

"Hmm. No, it's not" he agreed, frowning as he spotted them.

"Mulciber was looking at me when I sat down. I just have a bad feeling about this" she admitted.

"You and me both" he told her, taking a sip of his drink.

A minute later and one of the waitresses was at their table, placing bowls of vegetable soup with slices of fresh, crusty bread in front of them.

"There you go, dears. Enjoy" she told them warmly. They both nodded and gave her their thanks before tucking in.

"Maybe it's nothing" Lily said to him, "Maybe they're just shopping like the rest of us"

"Let's just enjoy this, shall we?" Severus suggested.

"Definitely, it smells delicious" she told him, which it did. Just what they needed on such a cold day. Conversation was difficult as they ate, small talk about the weather, about homework, about Christmas. Both of them clearly thinking about the three boys in the corner that kept looking at them.

"So, what do you want to do then, Sev?" she asked him as they finished the last of their butterbeers. "Do you want to head back to the Castle now, or wait until the end and walk back up with the Professors?" Severus sighed, clearly weighing up the options.

"I think we should just head back to the Castle. It's busy in here, maybe we can slip out while they're not looking" he suggested. Lily glanced over at the corner, none of them were looking their way. Lily nodded, gathering up the bags, scarves at hats, not waiting to put them on, they could do that as walked. No sense in wasting time.

A minute later and they had slipped through the crowds and were back outside, walking briskly up the main road, back towards Hogwarts. Lily noticed Severus glancing around nervously, obviously expecting to be followed, or ambushed. She didn't know which, but it made her nervous.

"If I tell you to run, run Lily" he whispered.

"What? I'm not leaving you" she protested.

"I mean it, Lily. Run if I tell you to, head back to the Three Broomsticks, fetch the Professor's" he whispered. Lily felt herself growing more panicked, they didn't know for a fact something would happen, they were probably being paranoid after everything. The Slytherins hadn't done anything to either of them in almost two months, why would they start now? Just when she'd almost convinced herself that everything was fine, a figure stepped out from behind one of the trees. Lily and Severus stopped in their tracks.

"Ah, Severus. It's been a while" Lucius Malfoy was suddenly there, looking at the two of them, partly amused, partly disgusted.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Severus ground out.

"Just a conversation. A quiet word. Alone" he said, staring straight at her, Severus was shaking his head.

"And if I say no" he growled

"Well, it would be a shame if something happened to the Mudblood, especially such a pretty one" Mulciber sneered, suddenly behind them. Lily jumped, glancing over her shoulder to find the rest of the Slytherins were now there, blocking their way back down the road. Severus whirled around at Mulciber, his wand suddenly in his hand.

"I've warned you, Mulciber" Severus spat at him furiously.

"Now, now boys. There's no need for such hostility. This needn't be painful" Malfoy drawled, clearly amused by the display. The three Slytherins all had their wands drawn now, Wilkes had appeared at Malfoy's side. Clearly outnumbered, five of them, against her and Severus. Lily reached for her wand.

"I wouldn't if I were you" Mulciber warned. She didn't listen, just clutched her wand tightly.

"Walk away now, Miss Evans" Malfoy suggested. "We merely want a private conversation with Severus" he grinned. Lily shook her head.

"Just go back to the pub, Lily" Severus whispered.

"I'm not leaving you, Sev" she told him.

"It will be ok, Lily. Trust me" he told her. She didn't want to leave him. She couldn't leave him. She wouldn't leave him, not against five. How could she live with herself if something happened? No. She was staying, whether they liked it or not.

...

Severus cursed internally, he should have known something like this would happen. The Slytherins wouldn't just give up on him, wouldn't let him walk away so easily. They would keep trying to win him over to their side, especially when he'd been so eager to join them a year ago. And he should have known that Lily wouldn't leave him, even if it was the only way to keep her safe. She would want to protect him just as he wanted to protect her. All he could do now was hope that they wouldn't get seriously hurt.

"Lily, just run, they'll hurt you if you stay" he whispered, trying one last time.

"And they'll hurt you if I leave. I'm staying with you" she said firmly.

"Not too smart, even for a Mudblood" Mulciber laughed. Lily spun around to be hit with a Body Bind, she didn't even have time to yelp as she keeled over on the dusty path, the others laughing along. Malfoy just looked smug.

"I told you, I merely wanted a conversation. We do not need _her_ involvement" Malfoy told him calmly. "Now, the Dark Lord is still interested in adding you to his ranks" he began.

"The _Dark Lord_ can go to hell" Severus spat out, shaking his head.

"It has come to his attention that you have talent, skills, and... information" Malfoy continued.

"Information?" he asked, giving his best 'confused' expression. _Oh shit, this could be bad._

"Mmm. I believe you have regular meetings with Dumbledore. That can only mean one thing" Malfoy stated.

"What?" _And how did he know about the meetings?_

"The only reason Dumbledore would take such a personal interest in a student, is if that student were... valuable. And if you're valuable to him, you're valuable to the Dark Lord" he finished. _Yep, definitely bad._

"Still no idea what you're talking about, Malfoy. I'm not joining Voldemort's side. End of conversation"

"Such a pity. You could go far, Severus. Power, money, respect. You could finally have it all. He rewards his most loyal followers extremely well"

"Lies. All I would get is death. One way or another. As will you, all of you. You're just too blind, or too stupid to see it" Severus growled at them.

"Is that your final word, Severus?" Malfoy sniffed disdainfully, looking down his nose.

"Obviously. Now leave us the hell alone. All of you" Severus shouted, turning to eye each of the Slytherins now circled around them.

"Boys, do as you wish. He is of no use to us now" Malfoy instructed, stepping back from the circle. A stinging hex came his way first, barely deflected by a hasty shield, a tripping jinx, again deflected, Severus attempting to send hexes back at the four boys, while trying to protect himself and Lily who was still bound on the floor, no time to release her himself.

"Expelliarmus!" Severus cried, finally catching one of the boys off guard, disarming Wilkes, taking it down to three on one.

"Sectumsempra!" Mulciber yelled, Severus shielded it with a split second to spare, panic building as he felt the three remaining boys frustrations rising, Wilkes now searching the undergrowth for his wand.

"Langlock" Severus shouted at Avery, he managed to shield himself.

"Petrificus Totalus" Avery yelled back, again shielded.

"Densaugeo" Severus cried, finally hitting Avery, his teeth growing at an alarming rate. Avery hissed in annoyance as he grasped at his mouth, "Expelliarmus!" he shouted at Rosier. Shielded. _Damn it!_ They needed help, if Lily had gone it would be over by now. Severus continued, slowly turning as the two remaining circled him, each of them sending hexes and jinxes and trying to shield themselves.

"Sectumsempra!" Rosier yelled, Severus blocked, quickly sending an Incarcerous Jinx back at him. He got him that time, ropes binding the boy as he toppled over. Leaving only Mulciber left, Malfoy didn't seem interested in joining in, Wilkes was still searching for his wand while letting out a stream of choice swear words, Avery was more interested in the state of his mouth.

"Crucio" Mulciber growled menacingly, Severus fell to his knees then, as the pain coursed through his body. He tried to block it out, the feeling of fire slicing through his nerves. Just the same as he remembered from his dream. Like then, he tried to use the Occlumency he'd been practicing to push the sensations away as Mulciber held the curse. Severus grunted as the pain burned through his fingers, trying to keep hold of his wand as he leaned forward in the dirt next to Lily, he caught the flicker of fear in her eyes, the only part of her body she could still move.

"Had enough yet, Snape?" Mulciber sneered as he lifted the curse, Severus panted in the aftermath, refusing to answer. Either way they were going to curse him again, weren't they? Brilliant. Maybe they were just going to kill him. After all, they thought he had information to use against Voldemort - which he did. They wouldn't let him just walk away.

"Get up, Snape. Pick up your wand" Mulciber ordered. Severus shook his head, pushing himself up to his knees, still trying to steady his breathing as his nerves twitched. "No? Crucio!" he yelled again, aiming his wand at Severus once more. Severus bit his lip, trying not to give them the satisfaction of crying out. He could taste blood as he fought, squeezing his eyes together tightly. Waiting for it to end. It had to end one way or another. Perhaps death wouldn't be so bad.

"Expelliarmus!" he heard another voice yell. The curse was lifted and Severus toppled backwards. Eyes still shut, panting hard. He vaguely heard a 'pop' from the trees, Lucius Malfoy escaping before he could be seen by anyone else. "Incarcerous."

Severus opened his eyes, blinking against the brightness of the sky, clouds so light the whole sky almost looked white. He rolled to his side blinking, to see Potter and Black standing over the two bound Slytherins, Wilkes and Avery standing with their arms up in surrender.

"Help Lily" he croaked out, his throat and mouth dry.

"What on Earth has happened here?" came the shocked voice of Professor McGonagall, quickly surveying the situation, releasing Lily from the Body Bind. Lily sat up, quickly crawling over the Severus, stroking his face, panic written all over her beautiful features.

"Sev! Are you ok?" she asked, alarmed at the state of him, pale, bloodied, and slightly twitching. He nodded softly, even though he wasn't ok. Far from it.

"Are you ok, Lily?" he asked, that was all that mattered to him.

"I'm fine, you're not. You need to get to the Hospital Wing" she told him firmly. Severus nodded, trying to push himself up to sitting.

"What happened here?" McGonagall asked again.

"Mulciber used the Cruciatus Curse on Severus, twice" Lily told her.

"Is this true, Mr Mulciber?" McGonagall asked him. He didn't look upset, just looked pleased with himself. Mulciber smirked, refusing to answer. "I am most disappointed in the four of you" she told the four Slytherins. Mulciber snorted. Like he cared about disappointing a Gryffindor, and one who would stand against his Dark Lord. "If you have indeed used the Cruciatus, the very least you'll be looking at is expulsion" she told him flatly. Again, like he'd care, he'd just begin working for Voldemort if he didn't get sent to Azkaban for using an Unforgivable. "Do you think you can stand, Mr Snape?" McGonagall asked, turning her attention back to him. Severus slowly nodded.

"I think so, I just need a minute" he told her. Lily wrapped her arms around him in a hug, trying to hold back her tears. Severus embraced her in return, fighting back tears of his own, he wasn't going to cry in front of the bloody Marauders!

"Miss Evans, if you could accompany Mr Snape to the Hospital Wing. Ah, Mr Lupin could you accompany them also, please?" Lily nodded, pulling herself away from him, gently stroking his cheek before she stood. Suddenly Lupin was there too, he hadn't even seen or heard him arrive. Lupin gathered up the bags of shopping. The Christmas shopping that felt like they'd done in another lifetime. Such a nice morning that had turned into a nightmare afternoon.

Lily helped him stand, wrapping an arm around his waist, his own draped around her shoulder. His legs still felt shaky but he was determined not to rely completely on her, and he definitely didn't want the assistance of a Marauder. Slowly, the trio made their way back up towards Hogwarts, his legs feeling slightly more steady, eager to get away from the Slytherins and their Marauder guard. And worried about how much Voldemort knew about him. Did he know anything? Or was he making assumptions? Either way, being on the Dark Lord's radar could prove very dangerous indeed.

...

Lily sat in a chair beside Severus' usual bed in the Hospital Wing. Ridiculous, she shouldn't even have to think of him having a 'usual bed' here. She was exhausted, but there was no way she was leaving him. She hadn't left him this afternoon, and she wouldn't be leaving him now evening had fallen. Severus was sleeping peacefully at the moment, the pain from the Cruciatus tiring him out completely. And she blamed herself. Maybe she should have left him like he told her to, she could have got help sooner, maybe he could have talked his way out of it without having to worry about her. But she couldn't leave him, couldn't abandon him to a bunch of Death Eater's.

And she was mad at herself too. She should have been ready for an attack, but with five of them surrounding her and Severus, she had no idea who was going to attack first. And she'd been put in a Body Bind straight away. Useless and helpless at Severus' feet while he tried to fend off the others. Malfoy had backed away, but that had still left him outnumbered. Yes, she felt angry and guilty, but she didn't know how it could have been changed. The fact that she hadn't been hurt only made her feel worse. Severus sighed in his sleep, his face turning in her direction. She just kept on holding his hand, keeping watch.

A polite cough drew her attention.

"Professor Dumbledore, Sir" she began. The Headmaster said nothing to start with, just pulled up a chair to sit beside her. Lily didn't know what to say to him, just turned her attention back to Severus.

"Severus should be fine in a day or two, Miss Evans" he eventually said. Lily nodded.

"He'll be fine" she agreed.

"Thank you, for providing me with your memory of the attack" he went on. Lily nodded again, what else could she have done. "That must have been a frightening situation" he said. She nodded again.

"I should have gone for help like he told me. I could have fetched Professor McGonagall sooner" she whispered. "It might not have been so bad if I'd gone"

"Perhaps. Or it may have been worse. Or exactly the same" he told her gently.

"I couldn't leave him" she said quietly.

"He will be fine" he said again, "Do not dwell on what might have been" Lily nodded. A sensible suggestion, but damn near impossible to do. "Mr Mulciber has been expelled, for using an Unforgivable" the Headmaster told her, "He will not be going to Azkaban as he is still considered a child. The others will be receiving two weeks of nightly detentions and are on a wand suspension until the end of term" he told her. Good. Horrible gits. Should have their wands confiscated permanently. She didn't say that out loud though, just nodded again.

"Now, it's approaching curfew, Miss Evans"

"Do I have to leave him?" she asked anxiously, she didn't want to go, she wanted to be there when he woke up.

"No. I believe you should stay here tonight. The next bed along is free. I'm sure it will do Severus some good to have you here when he wakes. You can fill him in on Mr Mulciber" he told her. Lily breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, Sir. Thank you" a small smile reached her lips for the first time since this morning. Grateful she would be allowed to stay, for Severus' sake and for her own.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Lily wandered down the train corridor, making her customary glances through the compartment windows. All was well. Smiling faces on all the students. All heading home to their families. Just like she was. And for the first time since starting Hogwarts, she was miserable about it. She'd always hated leaving Severus behind, there was no way he could ever go home at Christmas, it was hard enough for him to go home for the summers. This year was different, they were closer now than ever before, and it physically hurt, the thought of making it through the next fortnight without him there beside her. Not able to hug him, or hold his hand, or kiss him. Or to be there for him to talk to if another memory reached him in his dreams. True, he'd have Dumbledore, but that wasn't the same thing.

Lily sighed as she pushed open the door to the compartment she was sharing with Mary and Alice, and their friends Jessica and Harriet from Ravenclaw. They didn't understand. Her and Sev. They were still suspicious, though a lot of that came from Potter and Black. They'd stopped following him quite as often as they used to - probably worried about losing that bloody map of theirs. But they did still talk about him rather negatively. No one could see Severus the way she did. They didn't say anything to her face about him, but she knew what they said behind her back. And that hurt just as much, they believed Potter over her. They all wanted to believe the worst about Severus, even though he no longer gave them a reason not to trust him. They still used his frequent meetings with Dumbledore as something suspicious, something bad that he must be hiding. They would never believe it if they were told the real reason, that he was giving Dumbledore information. Information that could very well end the War.

Lily sat by the window, staring out at the horizon as the train clattered on. Not even home yet and wishing the time away. She sighed again. It was going to be a long two weeks.

"Is everything ok, Lily?" Alice asked her quietly.

"Hmm? Yeah" she mumbled, never taking her eyes off the scenery.

"How come Snape isn't going home for Christmas?" she asked.

"He never goes home for Christmas" she whispered.

"Oh? Why not?" Alice asked.

"It's complicated" Lily told her. It wasn't, not really, but she wasn't telling her about his parents.

"You miss him already?" Alice asked. Lily nodded. She did miss him.

"It's going to be a long two weeks" she told her friend.

"It'll fly by, you'll see" Alice told her confidently. There was a soft tap at the compartment window. Lily ignored it, kept looking outside. It was probably Potter or Black. Or both, trying to bring some Christmas 'fun' to the group of girls.

"Oh, I don't believe this" Mary muttered, Lily did glance over then, familiar dark eyes staring straight at her, an amused smirk on his lips. The door slid open then as Severus stepped inside.

"What the hell are you doing on the train?" Lily asked him, eyes wide with shock.

"I'm going home for Christmas. Obviously" he told her, still smirking.

"Why? You never go home" she told him.

"I know. Well actually, I'm not _technically_ going home" he grinned. Lily frowned, puzzled.

"What do you mean?" she asked as she stood, walking over to him.

"Oh, didn't I mention it?" he asked casually.

"Mention what?" she asked him exasperatedly.

"Oh, I'm staying at your house for Christmas" he leaned forwards, whispering in her ear. Lily's mouth opened and closed several times, still in shock. Severus was grinning broadly, the girls sitting in silence, watching.

"I'm sorry, what?" she finally asked.

"I'm staying with you" he said again quietly.

"And when was that decided?" she asked him.

"Your Mum suggested it in the summer..."

"The summer!" she interrupted, "And you didn't say anything?"

"Surprise!" he said, still grinning.

"You git" she laughed, tapping him playfully on the shoulder. He shrugged then.

"Sometimes" he laughed.

"And this was Mum's idea?" she asked him, grinning now too. He nodded.

"Yes. My mother knows where I'll be, hopefully my father doesn't. And Dumbledore knows" he told her.

"Am I the only one who didn't know?" she asked suspiciously, though still smiling.

"I don't think Petunia knows yet" he smirked. She laughed out loud then, Petunia was really going to hate this.

"That's brilliant" she giggled.

"Is this ok?" he asked her.

"It's better than ok, Sev. This is going to be a brilliant Christmas!" she told him, throwing her arms around his neck, meeting his lips in a kiss. "Come and sit down now, Sev"

"In here? Is that ok?" he asked, clearly unsure.

"Of course it is" she told him, grabbing his trunk to move it into the storage rack. Severus moved behind her to sit by the window, keeping himself out of the way. Lily snuggled up close beside him, his arm finding its way around her shoulder. Lily smiled brightly, sighing with contentment. Severus was coming home for Christmas! Her home!

"So, you're spending Christmas at Lily's then?" Alice asked him.

"Mmm" he nodded, "Her parents thought it might be a nice idea"

"How come you're not going home?" Alice asked him. Lily sighed with frustration then, everyone really was so nosy.

"I never do" he stated, "I don't exactly see eye to eye with my father"

"Oh?" she asked curiously.

"No, and I never will" he said quietly.

"I see" Alice answered, even though she didn't. Lily tried to shake her head, locking eyes with her, willing her not to ask more questions.

"So what are you going to do over the holidays then?" Mary asked.

"I don't know" Lily answered, "Do you have anything planned?" she asked, looking at Severus.

"I don't have any plans" he admitted, "I don't mind what we do" he said, smiling warmly at her.

"I hope we don't have to suffer another dinner with Petunia's boyfriend" Lily said, suppressing a shudder.

"Her boyfriend?" Alice asked.

"Mmm, we had to sit through Sunday lunch with my sister and her boyfriend. My sister's bad enough, but Vernon..." she trailed off. She really hoped he wouldn't be there Christmas day.

"They're that bad?" Mary asked, trying not to laugh.

"I'm pretty sure they think Lily and I are criminally insane. Or just freaks" Severus told them, looking faintly amused.

"What?" Alice laughed.

"It's true. According to Petunia we're a couple of freaks who go to a _special_ school so we don't interfere with _normal_ people" Lily told them.

"They sound charming" Mary added sarcastically. Severus and Lily both laughed then.

"Even so, I think this is going to be a great Christmas" Lily grinned, hugging Severus tightly then.

"Definitely" Severus agreed, rubbing her arm gently. The conversation drifted then, mostly between the other four girls in the compartment, Lily sitting quietly with Severus' arms around her. She and Severus joining in with the others from time to time, and they didn't seem to mind Severus being there at all. Maybe this was the start, the start of them accepting that he was nothing like Potter and Black had told them he was. A little bit of hope wasn't a bad thing after all.

...

James Potter exited the train, Sirius Black close behind him. laughing and joking as they usually did. Up ahead, he caught sight of the familiar red hair of Lily Evans, already heading towards the barrier back, no chance for him to catch up with him now. More surprisingly, Severus Snape was by her side, actually leaving Hogwarts, he'd only ever left the Castle during the summer. Something was definitely going on with Snivellus.

"Prongs? What's up mate?" Sirius suddenly asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh nothing. Just weird, don't you think?"

"What's weird?"

"Snivellus, leaving the Castle"

"Oh come off it, you're not still on about Snivelly, are you?" Sirius laughed.

"Well, something's not right" he stated emphatically. Sirius groaned.

"What's up with you two?" Mary MacDonald asked them.

"Just Prongs, going on about Snivellus again" Sirius said with a grin, "I mean, not that I blame him but..."

"You know as well as I do, there's something fishy going on, Padfoot!" James told them.

"I don't know about that" Alice added.

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"Well, he spent most of the journey in our compartment" Mary started to explain.

"And you survived?" Sirius laughed.

"He seemed alright to me" Alice said with a shrug.

"And it's obvious they adore each other, Lily and Snape" Mary continued. James did not want to hear that.

"And there didn't seem to be anything 'wrong' with him?" James asked.

"No, he was just quiet" Alice shrugged.

"But how come he's going home for Christmas?" James asked, surely that was still suspicious.

"Well actually, he's spending Christmas at Lily's" Mary told them.

"What? Like at her house, with her family? The whole holidays?" he asked them, gobsmacked. _Why would he be staying at her house_?

"Yes, apparently Lily's mum invited him. I'm guessing there's something he's trying avoid at his own house, I don't think he gets on with his dad" Alice explained, Mary nodded in agreement.

"Look, Prongs, I think it's time to back off a bit" Sirius laughed. James shook his head. It still didn't make sense, there must be something they were all missing. There had to be.

"I think we all need to trust Lily's judgement here. She keeps saying that he's ok, she trusts him. And I hate to say it, but I think she's right" Alice said quietly.

Mary and Alice quickly made their goodbyes, leaving James and Sirius alone once more.

"Maybe things are more complicated than we think" Sirius said quietly.

"Or maybe he's very good at convincing people" James suggested. Sirius sighed.

"Look, I'm never going to trust him mate, but maybe we need to back off a bit. Just to see what happens. If it is all an act, he'll slip sooner or later. He won't be able to keep it up forever" Sirius argued.

"Fine" James eventually agreed, "We'll watch him, for now, but the slightest hint that he's up to something, or it looks like someone could get hurt, then we're taking it to Dumbledore. Agreed?" James asked his friend. Eventually Sirius nodded and the two of them looked around for Remus, he wanted to fill him in before they went home themselves.

James knew he was going to be thinking about Snape now, trying to figure him out. Was he as dark as they'd originally suspected when they first met? Was he a master manipulator? Could he possibly lull Lily, her family, the girls into believing he was harmless? Could he convince Dumbledore he was harmless? Probably couldn't fool Dumbledore. Which could only mean that Snape was, in fact, harmless. And that final thought left James uneasy. That was the one thing he _didn't_ want to believe. That meant he was wrong.

...

Severus sat on Lily' bed, grinning from ear to ear, trying to concentrate on the book he was reading. It was difficult. The thought that he was actually away from Hogwarts for Christmas was amazing enough, but the fact that he was staying at Lily's house? He could still barely wrap his head around it. Lily's mother had first suggested it during the summer holidays, she obviously knew there was no way he could spend Christmas at his own house, and she knew Lily would want him with her for the holidays. And it seemed her parents wanted him there too. It had still taken him until November to decide for certain, he'd used a school owl to write to Mrs Evans without Lily knowing, checking that it was still ok for him to come, that the invitation still stood.

When Severus had come into the house with Mr and Mrs Evans and Lily, Petunia looked furious. Attempting to leave the room so she didn't have to eat her dinner with 'freaks'. She'd been warned about her attitude by Mr Evans, reminded her of what happened during the summer. Warned her that if she didn't stop, if she didn't 'grow up', then Vernon would not be allowed to visit over the holidays. Privately, Severus hoped she would go far enough to get that punishment, he had no desire to come face to face with Vernon Dursley ever again. Though he suspected he wouldn't be so lucky. Mr Evans had gone on to suggest that if she couldn't at the very least behave in a civil manner towards Lily and Severus, then she should say nothing, especially as he would be spending the whole of the school holidays here. Severus didn't think he'd heard Petunia shriek so loud since he and Lily had thrown a spider at her in the park when they were ten years old. Yes, Petunia was livid, muttering endlessly about what the neighbours would think, a 'boy' staying here. And obviously in the same room as Lily? How could her parents possibly want to encourage such things?

Yes, it was all quite amusing really. Petunia was so concerned about the sleeping arrangements. Severus would be sleeping on a camp bed, on Lily's bedroom floor. It was either that or for Lily to share a room with Petunia, and that would more or less be the start of World War Three. Yes, everyone's lives would be much more peaceful this way. And when it really came down to it, Mr and Mrs Evans trusted both Lily and Severus, so that was all that really mattered.

Lily breezed back into her bedroom, bright smile still lighting up her face, back from the bathroom where she'd been to change ready for bed.

"I still can't believe you're here" she whispered excitedly, sitting next to him on the bed, both with their backs against the headboard.

"I can hardly believe it myself" he replied.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me though"

"I just wanted it to be a surprise" he said quietly, "I didn't mean for it to be a secret" he added.

"No, it's fine. I mean, surprises are good things right?" she asked him.

"Mmm. Good things, things you will like when you get them" he confirmed.

"Like Christmas presents" she grinned.

"Exactly. Secrets are usually bad. And a secret for a reason" he said. Lily nodded, still smiling. "So what are we going to do tomorrow?" he asked.

"Well, we need to decorate the tree" she told him.

"I see" he replied, not entirely sure how he felt about that, he'd never decorated a tree before. He'd not been home for the last five Christmases, and he didn't remember much about the ones from his early childhood, his parents weren't the sort to celebrate much of anything.

"It'll be fun, Sev" she told him, reaching for his hand. "Trust me" she added. Severus nodded, he did trust her. He would do it for her regardless though, he'd do anything for her. "So you told your Mum you were coming here?" she asked.

"I thought it was for the best. Just in case" he said, glancing at her.

"Do you think it will happen?"

"I honestly don't know, Lily. I told her I thought something might happen to him. But whether she's told him or not, I don't know. I have no intentions of going round there to find out. If he's there, there's no way he'd let me come back here" he told her.

"And you told Dumbledore?"

"I thought everyone should know where I am, if something happens" he explained. And he wasn't keeping any secrets that could come back to haunt him later.

"I wish I could have seen Potter's face when he found out you were coming here" she suddenly grinned.

"I'm sure he'd make Petunia's reaction look positively friendly"

"Or he could keel over with shock" she added.

"Well, we can but hope" he smirked.

"I'm sure Mary made a point of telling him once we were off the train"

"Really?"

"Mmm. I think she likes Potter, so no doubt this is a lovely bit of gossip she just has to pass along" Lily told him.

"Maybe you should tell her a few things that would 'really' annoy him" he grinned.

"I'm sure we could make up a few things that would make his head explode" she snorted. No doubt about that. The fact that he was sleeping in her room was going to piss him off no end, they could elaborate on that. Or just let him make his own assumptions, he could care less.

Severus stood then, ready to get into his own bed, though he couldn't deny it would be nice to just crawl under the covers with Lily, fall asleep with her held close to him. One day, one day, he told himself. Lily stood too, wrapping her arms around him, sharing a tender kiss before they had to climb into their separate beds. Severus sighed as their lips parted, fingers running softly through her beautiful red hair, eyes locked on each other's intently.

"I'm so glad you're here, Sev" she whispered.

"Me too" he replied. He was glad, it felt like someone else's life. He leaned in again, pressing a final quick kiss to her lips, before stepping back. Lily slipped under her covers, while he went to switch off the lights, climbing under the covers of his own bed. Severus lay on his back, looking up towards Lily's bed, his bed was considerably lower than hers. He could see she was lying on her front, looking down at him in the darkness, the faint light coming from outside and the slightly open door giving just enough light to see. They had watched over each other as they slept before, in the Hospital Wing, on the train, in her parents car. He'd even stayed at her house before, years ago, as children. But this was different, another step in their relationship. Another step closer to a life together.

"Goodnight, Sev" Lily whispered to him.

"Goodnight, Lily" he replied just as softly. Watching her as best he could as she snuggled herself into her covers, closing her eyes. He kept watching, as she fell asleep, he breathing changing, becoming deeper, more even. Calm and peaceful, with a hint of a smile still on her lips. And to him, she looked completely perfect. Severus let his own eyes close then, falling asleep so near to his beautiful Lily, and for once in his life, feeling happy and wanted. Part of a family.

 **A/N - Once again I'd just like to say a huge thank you for all your wonderful comments, it's been so nice to hear you're enjoying the story. I'm sorry I haven't replied directly to any reviews, but any pm's have been answered, so do feel free to pop me a message if there's anything you'd like a comment on, or have any questions you'd like answered.**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"Sev? Wake up!" Lily whispered, tapping his shoulder gently. She fought the urge to giggle as he frowned. "I know you're awake" she whispered.

"Hmm? No, sleeping" he whispered back, still frowning. She leaned forward then, kissing him on the lips as lightly as she could, "That's cheating" he told her, opening his eyes as she pulled away, sitting on the floor next to his bed.

"No, I knew you were awake" she grinned, shaking her head.

"Mmm. So what has you up at this ungodly hour? You're never up before me"

"Happy Christmas, Sev" she told him.

"Ah, it's Christmas Day already? Happy Christmas, Lily" he replied, slipping his hand into her hair, drawing her in for another kiss.

"Hmm" she sighed, "I could get used to this, sharing a room" she told him. She was going to miss seeing him as they woke when they got back to Hogwarts in just over a week.

"Me too. You know, I think I prefer this to a room alone" he told her. Well that was good, she hadn't driven him insane just yet. "Do you want to go downstairs?" he asked.

"No, it's only 5.15" she told him.

"5.15! Go back to bed!" he instructed as he lay back down, pulling the covers over his head.

"Spoil sport" she teased. But she didn't move, she stayed on the floor next to his bed.

"What time is it now?" he asked, pulling the covers off himself again.

"Um, 5.17" she told him as she glanced at her watch.

"Let's just go downstairs, get some coffee or something" he said to her. Lily nodded, heading out the bedroom and down the stairs to wait for him.

A few minutes later, familiar arms wrapped around her from behind as she made their drinks, his chin on her shoulder, peering over. Yes, she could get used to this. It was all so 'normal'. Severus kissed her cheek, before grabbing his drink and heading for the sofa, his arm stretched out to her in invitation. An invitation she readily accepted, sitting close beside him, her head resting on her chest. The two of them in comfortable silence, drinking their coffees by the soft glow of the Christmas lights.

"Good morning, you two. Happy Christmas" her mother greeted them as she entered the room.

"Happy Christmas, Mum"

"Happy Christmas, Mrs Evans"

"What time did you two get up" she asked them.

"Well, Lily decided to get me up at 5" Severus teased. Lily rolled her eyes and pretended to elbow him in the ribs playfully.

"Honestly, Lily" her mother sighed, before heading back to the kitchen, making them all tea and starting the preparations for the Christmas dinner.

By 7.30 the rest of the family were awake and settled in the living room, waiting to open presents. Lily sat herself in front of the tree, taking up her usual position of present monitor, handing out the presents accordingly. Just as she'd always done. Severus seemed to be watching her with amusement, her parents seemed content. Only Petunia was a sore point, she kept herself as far away from her and Severus as possible, nose in the air if Lily so much as looked in her direction. But at least she kept her snide comments to herself for the most part, even if it did look like her head would explode from the strain of biting her tongue.

Soon they were unwrapping gifts - tags, paper and ribbons strewn across the floor as the Evans all got stuck in. Severus was the only one making an effort to keep things tidy, his presents unwrapped carefully, his paper in a neat pile beside him, which amused Lily immensely. Lily opened the small package from Severus, looking at him quizzically when she saw the small mirror.

"It's a two way mirror" he told her, "I have the other one" he explained as he pulled another out of his dressing gown pocket. "Look in yours" he instructed. She did as he said, seeing her own reflection for a moment, before Severus' face appeared as he looked into his own.

"That's brilliant, Sev!" she exclaimed, putting her mirror down again, sitting next to him on the sofa, giving him a quick kiss, "Thank you"

"You're welcome. And thank you, for the books"

"I thought they might be interesting" she told him. Hopefully useful too, either in their search for information on You-Know-Who's desire to cheat death, or to figure out exactly how these memories were reaching Severus.

A tapping at the window drew everyone's attention, a small barn owl waiting to be let in. Lily moved to open the window, Petunia shrieking as the owl fluttered gracefully over to Severus, perching on the arm of the sofa, sticking out his little leg for Severus to remove the note.

"Honestly! Who on earth gets sent an owl?" Petunia cried.

"We do, Petunia. Owls deliver all our post, you know that, you've seen an owl before" Lily said calmly. The owl hooted softly as Lily stroked the soft feathers on his head, while Severus read through the note the owl had brought. "Who's it from?" she asked Severus.

"Dumbledore. Apparently he thought I could use an owl, to keep in touch when I'm here, or at home" he told her.

"He's sent you that thing as a pet!" Petunia virtually screamed.

"Yes, Petunia, a pet" Severus told her.

"I guess he wanted to make sure you had a way of contacting him if anything happens" Lily said quietly. Severus nodded, a slight frown furrowing his brow.

"Maybe he knows something I don't" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Or maybe he just thought you'd like an owl, sent you a gift because you've been working so hard" she told him. "You can always ask him when we go back to school next week"

"Maybe. At the very least I should send him a thank you note, send this little fella on his first trip for me" he said.

"What are you going to call him?"

"I think, Apollo. That should do" Severus answered as he stroked the little owls head. The owl seemed happy with that, and hopped up onto Severus' arm as he stood to head back upstairs.

Lily followed back up to her bedroom, laying down on her bed as Severus composed a short note for the newly-named Apollo to take to their Headmaster, both watching as the owl flew off in the sky.

Severus lay beside her on the bed, the two laying on their sides face to face, his arm draped over her waist.

"I think I need a nap" she told him. Severus snorted in amusement.

"Well you did insist on getting up in the middle of the night" he said teasingly.

"I promise it's the only day I get up early" she tried to reassure him.

"Hmm. I'm not so sure about that" he told her sceptically. She kissed him then, gently, as she stroked his cheek, smiling as they broke apart. "Close your eyes, get some sleep before dinner" he instructed.

"Will you stay with me?"

"Of course" he told her, kissing her once more, before he lay on his back, waiting for Lily to make herself comfortable on his chest. Dozing off together, happy and content, and full of Christmas spirit.

...

Severus had never known a Christmas like it in his life. He'd never been part of a family before, or at least he'd never felt he was. Christmas at his house had always been a day much the same as any other. The aim was always to be as quiet as possible, and keep as far away from his father as he could. There was no Christmas tree. No gifts. No special dinner. Just another day.

This year was the complete opposite. He'd helped Lily decorate the Christmas tree that proudly stood in the Evans living room. He'd given and received gifts. There had been warmth. Laughter. Cosy days drinking hot chocolate on the sofa. And Lily. He and Lily together pretty much constantly, both happy and content whatever they were doing. Even sitting in silence reading. And he was dreading going back to Hogwarts. He'd gotten used to sharing a room with Lily, he'd slept much better than he usually did, her presence alone soothing him if he happened to wake in the night. The fact that he could see her from his bed was comfort enough. Reassurance that he was safe. They were both safe.

Today was New Years Eve, just a few more days until they would be taking the train back. Just a few days that he had Lily to himself. Part of him suspected that Mary MacDonald and Alice Prewett wouldn't be quite so opposed to spending time with him and Lily when they returned, they seemed fairly polite to him on the train and wondered if the civility would continue. Which was a nice thought, but there was still that selfish part inside him that didn't want to share her. Logically, he knew he would have to. But he still wanted to be selfish.

Severus was sat in his usual spot on the sofa, book in hand. Lily was baking, humming happily in the kitchen with Mrs Evans, popping in and out the room, bringing him samples of whatever they happened to be making, flour dusting her face and covering her freckles. Petunia had gone to her wretched boyfriends house already, and was staying there tonight to see in the New Year.

"Could you get the door for me, Severus, dear?" Mrs Evans called through as they heard a knock.

"Yes, of course, Mrs Evans" he answered, quickly making his way through to greet the visitor. "Mother?" he asked, shocked as he pulled open the door. _What was she doing here?_ It couldn't be good. "What's happened?" he whispered, frowning. She didn't answer, just met his eyes looking scared.

"Is everything ok, Sev? Oh, hello Mrs Snape" Lily greeted, suddenly behind him. His mother said nothing, just looked at Lily, then back at him.

"Come in, Mother. I'm guessing there is something we need to talk about" Severus told her, stepping aside to let her in. His mother stepped in without a word, following Lily to the living room, taking a seat in one of the armchairs. Lily headed back to the kitchen, presumably to let Mrs Evans know.

"He's dead, Severus" his mother whispered, staring at the Christmas tree in front of the window.

"What happened?" he asked, even though he was fairly sure he already knew.

"He went out last night. Got thrown out of a pub, got in a fight" she said quietly. Severus nodded. Yep. Just like he thought.

"I assume you got the letter I posted" he asked quietly. She nodded. "Did you tell him?"

"I told him to be careful" she said. "He obviously didn't listen" she added. Severus snorted, of course he didn't listen, when did he ever? He was more surprised that she actually mentioned it to him. "How did you know, Severus?" she asked him.

"I told you, just a dream. A feeling" he told her.

"It's not the first time. Is it?"

"What?" he didn't want to have this conversation. He wasn't telling her.

"You had strange dreams during the summer. Didn't you?" she asked. She'd obviously been thinking about that.

"That was just a weird dream" he lied, shrugging it off as best he could.

"Are you sure?" she asked suspiciously. "And what about Dumbledore looking for you? He doesn't usually make house calls"

"I already told you, he was giving me some extra lessons at school, he was checking on how it was going" he explained. She nodded absently but looked far from convinced.

"I've already arranged the funeral" she said quietly, "On Tuesday, so it'll be done before you go back to Hogwarts" she continued. Severus nodded, he supposed he'd have to go, not that he wanted to. Maybe it would be ok if Lily went with him.

"Do you want me to come home now?" desperately hoping he could stay here.

"No. I would prefer to handle things alone. And I'm sure you're much better with the support of the Evans" she told him. Severus nodded, he didn't think he could support his mother at all. She was obviously going to grieve for the man for some reason, and Severus was not going to be able to share those feelings at all. True enough, he wouldn't be celebrating, he hated the man after all, but he couldn't grieve for him. And he didn't think she should be either. But she would, regardless.

Severus left his mother in the living room, still staring, to join Lily and Mrs Evans in the kitchen. Mrs Evans had made tea for everyone, waited for Severus before bringing it through.

"He's dead. My father" Severus told them both. Mrs Evans gasped.

"Oh dear, you poor thing" she exclaimed. Severus shook his head, he didn't need pity.

"Are you ok, Sev?" Lily asked, reaching out tentatively to touch his hand.

"Yeah, it's fine" he shrugged. Well, it would be anyway. "She doesn't want me to come home though" he told them.

"That's no problem, dear" Mrs Evans assured him.

"Will you come to the funeral with me?" he asked Lily. Lily nodded, squeezing his fingers.

"Of course I will. Anything you need" she assured him. Mrs Evans bustled passed them both then, carrying the tea tray through to the living room, where his mother was still, no doubt, staring at the tree. Lily wrapped her arms around him then, he quickly returned the gesture, enveloping her and holding her close. "You know it's not your fault, don't you?" she asked him. He nodded.

"I know. She said she told him. I'm just not sure how I feel about it yet" he explained softly. And he didn't know. If anything, he felt numbed by the news. He wasn't angry, or sad. He didn't feel guilty about not preventing his death. But he didn't feel happy either, didn't feel joyous that the man who had destroyed his childhood was dead and gone, would never lay a hand on him again. He didn't have to think about him ever again if he chose not to, after the funeral anyway. Maybe he was in shock, too soon for any other emotions to sink in. It was clear his mother was in shock.

There were only eight hours left of 1976, but it was obvious that 1977 was going to be very different to anything he'd known before.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Severus sat in the small chapel at the crematorium. Lily sat beside him holding his hand, Mr and Mrs Evans sat behind them. His mother? She was sat at the front, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. And it annoyed him. She was finally free of the man who had ruined her life for almost 20 years, she could start to reclaim all the things she'd lost. But would she?

Despite her making it clear that she wanted to be left alone, Severus had gone to the house. He'd tried to talk to her. He'd suggested taking a trip to Diagon Alley, she could get a new wand, her original one snapped and thrown out many years ago - Severus couldn't actually recall if he'd ever seen it or not. She didn't want to hear it. Every suggestion was met with silence, sobbing, or her shrinking away from him in apparent fear. As if he was going to behave towards her in exactly the same way as his father.

Severus was worried. How would she cope? She didn't have a job, no way of paying the bills here in the Muggle world. He'd tried to talk her into rejoining the Wizarding world, but she was stubborn. She assured him she would be fine, she would stay in the house, the home she had built there. She was, in essence, a Muggle now. The house was paid for upon his death, insurance policies in place covered that, and there was a small pay out. But that wouldn't last forever, and she was in no state to get a job, as a Muggle or as a Witch.

Severus sighed as the service went on, counting down the minutes until it was over. He kept glancing around the others present. He didn't know any of them, people from his work place and the pub that seemed to have better opinions of the man than he did. His mother still sobbing, sniffles now escaping her as she wept.

Finally, it was over. Music began to play and everyone stood for the last time. Severus wasted no time in heading for the exit, made sure he was the first one out of the door, not even dragging Lily with him. He just needed to get out of there.

Sighing, he leaned against the wall, underneath the small shelter, looking out at the rain. It was bitterly cold, grey and drizzly, and perfectly reflected the mood of the day.

"How are you feeling, Severus?" Dumbledore's voice suddenly asked, he hadn't even realised he was at the funeral. Severus shrugged.

"Honestly? I don't know" he answered. He'd spent the last few days not really knowing what to think, what to feel.

"Walk with me" Dumbledore said to him. Severus nodded, casting a glance at the door, worried that Lily wouldn't find him. "We will not go far, Severus" Dumbledore assured him. "What is troubling you?" he asked as they reached the end of the path.

"Everything," Severus shrugged. "It just feels like it's wrong. This shouldn't have happened"

"There are many things that _shouldn't_ happen, Severus. That does not stop these things from happening"

"No. But... I don't know" he said, looking away.

"This wasn't your fault, Severus" the Headmaster told him.

"I know" he sighed, "But maybe I should have tried harder to stop it"

"And what could you have done differently?"

"I don't know. Nothing, I suppose. I couldn't have gone home with him there, and if I'd tried to stop him going out then I would have come off worse. And he would have gone anyway" he told him. Which was true, if he'd tried to stop his father going out, he would have been hit, or beaten, and his father would have still gone and got pissed. Got himself killed.

"So what is troubling you?"

"That I couldn't change it. At first, I didn't know if I wanted to. But we can't change everything. What else can't we change?" he whispered. That, he supposed was the real issue. The fear that this was the first in a list of things he couldn't change. Couldn't stop. It was the first time he feared they would fail, they wouldn't be able to stop Voldemort in his quest to rule Wizard-kind for all eternity, wiping out Muggleborns and Muggles. He wouldn't be able to save Lily. And then there would only be the darkness left.

"We will not stop until the darkness had been fought, Severus. Voldemort will not triumph"

"Do you believe that, Sir?"Severus asked nervously. He wanted to believe it himself. Wanted to believe that he could keep Lily safe, that reality wouldn't happen the same way as he'd seen in his dreams. But he was scared to believe it. Didn't want to set himself up for a fall. For failure.

"Yes, Severus. I do" Dumbledore told him, smiling.

"My mother is suspicious" Severus told him.

"Oh?"

"In the summer I'd mentioned having a strange dream, then I wrote to her about my father. Then there is yourself, visiting"

"Has she said what her suspicions are?"

"No. She doesn't talk much" he told him. Dumbledore nodded. "Either she thinks I've suddenly turned into a Seer, or I'm in a lot of trouble and you need to keep a close eye on me. Which is what most of Hogwarts think" he told the Headmaster, mildly amused by this point.

"Trouble? You, Severus?" Dumbledore asked. Severus shrugged.

"According to Potter and Black that's the only way you can keep me under control, stop my evil taking over the school" he told him.

"I see"

"You already know that though. They are rather _vocal_ in their opinions of me"

"Yes" he nodded, "But I am sure you will continue to prove them wrong." Severus nodded. That was the best plan, just keep on doing what he was doing and hope that in the end people could see where he really stood. Which side of the war. It should be obvious already, but people, as a bunch, were stupid.

"What if no more of these _memories_ come through? It's been over a month since the last one" he frowned.

"Does that bother you, Severus?"

"Yes. When it first started happening, I wanted it to stop. Some of the things I saw were, awful. But now, we need to know. We need every weapon, every bit of information possible. Or it's never going to end" Severus said quietly. And that was another fear he had, that the memories had stopped reaching him. They wouldn't find out what Voldemort had done, the pieces of himself that he had torn off and hidden. And if they couldn't find and destroy those pieces, they could never win the war. They could stall it from time to time, but if You-Know-Who knew that someone had figured out what he'd done, he'd only push harder, fight harder. And it would be over.

"As I said, Severus. Voldemort will not triumph. We will make sure of that. And I do not think it is over, more memories will come to you, I am certain of that" Dumbledore assured him. Severus shrugged, he wished he could be as sure of that as the Headmaster. "Patience, Severus" he smiled. Severus nodded, he didn't have a lot of choice in that now, did he?

"Here you are, Sev. Good afternoon Sir" Lily greeted them both quietly.

"Good afternoon, Miss Evans. My apologies for borrowing Mr Snape"

"That's ok, I didn't think he'd go far" she smiled.

"Is everything ok?" Severus asked.

"Your Mum has already gone. I think she just wants everyone to leave her alone" Lily whispered as she took his hand.

"Your parents?"

"They're waiting for us" she told him. Of course they were, they wouldn't leave without Lily, or himself.

"I should let you both go and rejoin your family" the Headmaster told them, "There is much to be done at Hogwarts ready for everyone's return tomorrow"

"Of course, Sir" Severus answered, Lily nodded and smiled politely.

"Take care, Severus. I shall see you both tomorrow, and we shall talk again in a few days. Just remember, patience" he told them, making his way down the hill and through the gates, presumably looking for a place hidden from view to apparate back to the school.

"Patience, Sev?" Lily asked, squeezing his fingers.

"About the dreams" he answered softly, Lily nodded. She understood, she always seemed to understand him.

"Let's go and find my parents, get out of here" she suggested. Severus nodded, he'd be glad to get out of here, to go home with Lily. He never wanted to see this place again.

...

"Hey, Evans. Have a good Christmas?" Potter asked as she made her way into the Gryffindor common room.

"For the most part" she answered, it had been wonderful up until New Years Eve.

"So, living with Snivelly for two weeks didn't drive you totally nuts then?" he smirked.

"Not in the slightest. Severus is an excellent roommate" she smirked back. Oh yes, that would annoy him.

"Roommate? I thought he was just staying at your house" Potter stated, frowning. She shrugged.

"Well, he had to sleep somewhere" she grinned.

"Yeah, but..."

"What? Where Severus slept is none of your business" she told him. It really wasn't, but it was fun winding him up.

"Fine. But aren't you worried about what people will say?"

"Not especially" she couldn't care less, people would talk and gossip regardless. She knew the truth anyway.

"Oh"

"It's nobody's business anyway, they can say what they want. Besides, Severus and I will both be seventeen by the end of the month" she stated. Potter looked utterly fed up.

"So why do you look so miserable then, if it was so much fun living with Snivellus?"

"I'm tired. It's been a long day, and believe it or not, I miss him"

"Really?" he asked, looking surprised.

"Yes, really" she laughed.

"I heard people saying his Dad died, is it true?" Potter asked quietly.

"Why should I tell you anything about Severus? Give you more things to tease him about?" she asked, folding her arms.

"No, I just wondered if it was true"

"Yes" she sighed, "It was the funeral yesterday" she said quietly, not entirely sure if she should say anything, but people were already talking.

"What happened?" Potter asked.

"Now, that's something you'll have to ask him yourself. It's up to him if he wants to share it or not" she told him. There was no way Potter was going to talk to Severus. And there was even less chance that Severus was going to tell Potter what had happened.

"Did he do it?"

"Do what?"

"Did he off his Dad?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Is that a _no_ then?"

"Of course it's a bloody no, you idiot!" she shouted.

"And you know that for a fact, do you?"

"Yes, I do. First, he's not a murderer. And second, he was with me at the time!" she snapped. Potter really was getting more and more ridiculous.

"Oh right, sorry, forgot he spent the holiday in your bed!" he whispered at her angrily.

"I never said he slept in my bed, that was you jumping to conclusions" she spat back, flushing with anger. "And even if he did, it doesn't concern you!" she shouted, pushing passed him then, heading for the dorms. Desperate to get away from Potter. She'd actually thought, hoped that Potter was growing up a bit, he'd sounded concerned, asking about his father. But it had quickly escalated, Potter showing his true colours. Back to his belief that Severus was evil, that he'd actually _murdered_ his own father. Absurd.

"Are you ok, Lily?" Mary asked, as her and Alice followed her into the room. Lily sighed as she sat on the bed.

"Just Potter being an idiot" she told them. The girls had sat with her and Severus on the train, he'd been quieter than usual on the journey, spending most of it staring out the window. He'd told them his father's funeral had been the day before, and they'd left him alone, assuming he'd been grieving in his own way. He didn't care if people assumed that, it meant that they left him alone, didn't bombard him with questions.

"About Snape?" Alice asked.

"Of course" Lily answered. What else?

"Did he really sleep in your room?" Mary asked curiously.

"Yes" Lily nodded, " He had a camp bed on the floor" she told them.

"I see" Alice grinned. Lily sighed, no one was going to believe that in the slightest. She didn't care.

"Potter asked me if Severus was to blame, for his Dad's death" she whispered.

"Well, that's a new level of stupid, even for Potter" Alice remarked. Lily snorted. Yes, it was.

"He'll be ok though, right?" Mary asked.

"Who, Severus?"

"Mmm. He'll be ok?"

"Yeah, he'll be ok. He just needs some time to adjust. He said before that he didn't really get on with his Dad, he was only leaving Hogwarts for Christmas this time because he was going to my house. But, it's still a shock to him, I think." The girls nodded, that was believable.

"Well, it was still his Dad after all" Mary commented. Lily nodded, at least Mary and Alice weren't going to press the issue. She wasn't going to tell them what was really going on, that he didn't really care that much, about his father dying. No, he felt helpless, the memory sent to him beforehand, and even though he'd been torn about what to do at the time, he'd known he needed change it. And he failed. In his mind anyway. He hated failure, and not being able to prevent his father's death was a painful reminder that he wasn't going to be able to prevent everything he knew about in advance. Although, until more memories actually came through to him, there was nothing he could do about anything they were yet to face.

...

"Did you look into the rumours, Albus?" Horace Slughorn asked him quietly. Albus sighed.

"I did, but found no evidence that there was any truth to them" he told his Potions Professor.

"But there could be?"

"There could be. But at this point I believe Mr's Rosier and Avery are just trying to sway things to their advantage" he explained.

"They are still rather angry about Mr Mulciber's expulsion, aren't they?" Horace asked, a very worried expression on his usually jovial face.

"Yes. Severus will be more of a target now than ever. Voldemort may believe that Severus has information, or at the very least Lucius Malfoy suspects it"

"But how would he know? Severus certainly wouldn't have said anything, neither would Miss Evans. Or us" Horace blustered.

"No, but it appears that our meetings have become rather common knowledge. The fact that I have been meeting with Severus personally has aroused suspicions" he told him, raising an eyebrow.

"I see. Do you intend to keep meeting with him, Albus?"

"I do. He needs support, even without the memories coming to him"

"Are they still coming to him?"

"Not for a while, almost two months, but it is only a matter of time until another one"

"You believe that? What if it doesn't?"

"Patience, Horace" he smiled. Patience was a virtue, and Albus Dumbledore could be a very patient man indeed. He had to be.

"But you don't think Death Eater's were behind his father's death?"

"I don't believe so. I think Mr's Rosier and Avery thought they could say he was targeted, as a warning to Severus, trying to use fear to get to him"

"I see" Horace nodded slowly.

"Even after the attack in Hogsmeade I think they would still prefer to have Severus working for them, rather than against them" Albus explained. Not that it would work, he was sure of that. "Even if the Death Eater's aren't responsible, it puts doubt in Severus' mind. He doesn't know for certain"

"No, in a way I suppose that makes it more difficult, doesn't it?"

"We'll keep our eyes and ears open, keep gathering information. And keep working with Severus. He will need us, Horace" Albus told him. This was the calm before the storm, and Severus would need as many people in his corner as possible. That was something he knew for certain.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Lily knocked gently on Severus' door, yawning. She never liked being up early, but today, she was making an effort. Leaving the dorm rooms as early as she dared, heading to the Great Hall to swipe some pastries for breakfast, before heading up to Severus' room. Definitely not normal behaviour for her, especially on a Sunday, when all the students were attempting to sleep late. But it was Severus' birthday. His seventeenth birthday, and that was worth the extra effort.

"Sev, it's me, are you in there?" she called, hoping she hadn't missed him during her trek. To her relief, the door opened and she found herself face to face with him.

"Good morning, you're up awfully early" he said, stepping aside to let her in the room.

"Happy birthday, Sev" she smiled, placing the pastries down on his desk. "I thought I'd bring breakfast here"

"Thank you. I could have met you downstairs though" he told her.

"Well, maybe I wanted you to myself for a bit" she grinned.

"Oh, is that so?"

"Absolutely" she told him, closing the distance between them, wrapping her arms around, pulling him close as their lips met, sighing as his fingers ran down her spine.

"Mmm. I miss sharing a room with you" he whispered as he pulled away from her.

"Me too" she admitted, it just wasn't the shame, sharing a room with a group of girls. Sure, they were nice, but they weren't Severus.

Lily sat down on Severus' bed, reaching into the pocket of her robes, retrieving a small parcel.

"Happy birthday" she told him again, handing the gift to him as he sat beside her. He nodded, giving her a sheepish smile as he opened the box.

"A pocket watch" he smiled, "Thank you" he whispered, leaning in to press another kiss to her lips.

"Do you like it?" she asked, hoping she'd chosen one that was appropriate.

"It's perfect" he assured her, returning her smile. Lily relaxed then, now that the gift had been given. "When did you get it?" he asked curiously.

"During the summer, I had Dad's help in Diagon Alley" she explained. She'd had it put to one side and had her father collect it while he was distracted helping her shop for books.

"Really? You planned it that long ago?"

"Yes. Shouldn't I plan ahead?" she asked, not sure if she should be amused or upset at the implications.

"You still thought we'd be together?" he whispered.

"Of course I did. What's this really about? You seem surprised that I planned a few months ahead. Didn't you think we'd still be together?" she asked him nervously. Didn't he think they had a future together?

"I hoped we would" he said quietly, looking down at the floor, "I just keep expecting you to wake up and realise you can do better" he admitted. She hadn't realised how insecure he was, how worried that one day this relationship would end.

"Sev, for me, there isn't anyone better. I wish you'd believe me when I say that" she told him quietly, reaching to touch his arm gently.

"I do, but, it just seems too good to be true. Things don't usually go right in my life" he said, smiling grimly.

"You've still got me. You'll always have me" she told him, willing him to believe her. She couldn't understand how he could think otherwise. She couldn't see herself being this close to anyone. She definitely couldn't see this relationship ending. Unless there was something else bothering him.

"Is this about some of the memories you've seen?" she asked him. Severus sighed. That was a _yes_ then. Her son?

"It's really hard to think about, let alone talk about" he said quietly.

"My son" she stated. He just nodded. "Who was the father?" she knew the problem wasn't her, so it had to be whoever she married.

"What?"

"Well, it wasn't you, was it? We weren't together in those memories. So who was it?"

"No, it wasn't me, but I really don't want to say"

"Why not?"

"If I say it, you might start looking at him differently"

"You don't trust me?" she whispered.

"Of course I trust you, but..."

"But what? Who is it?"

"You can't tell him"

"Why would I tell... whoever it is? How would I explain that? 'Oh excuse me, I know I've got a lovely boyfriend, but I get the feeling I'm going to have a child with you one day'" Ridiculous.

"Potter" he whispered, frowning.

"What?" _he didn't just say that, did he?_

"James Potter. In those memories, you married him, had a son with him, and you both died protecting him" he spat out.

"Oh my God. That is just, well, it's absurd, that's what it is!" she told him. She'd never heard anything so ridiculous in her life.

"That's why I didn't want to tell you" he said quietly. Really, she wished he hadn't, wished she hadn't pushed him into it, especially today.

"So, all this time you've been waiting for me to run off with Potter?" she asked. He didn't respond at first.

"I can't change everything, can I?" he said sadly.

"Look at me, Sev" she begged. Finally he met her eyes, seeing the sadness lingering there. "I love you, I have no intentions of leaving you, not now, not ever. Not for anyone" she told him. She saw his features soften slightly, nodding gently before leaning in to kiss her again, softly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you into telling me. But, you know you can talk to me about anything. I don't want you worrying about things"

"I'm sorry too. You know I love you, Lily" he told her. She did know that. And deep down, she knew that he didn't have to worry about Potter, there was no way she was marrying anyone but Severus. She just had to find a way to keep reassuring him of that.

"Do you want your birthday breakfast now?" she asked, trying to change the mood back to the happy, celebratory one it had been before the 'conversation'.

"I'm not that hungry, right now. I think I'd like to lie down for a bit, if you don't mind" he told her.

"You're the birthday boy, you can do whatever you like" she smiled at him. "Do you want me to go, so you can rest?"

"No, I'd rather you stayed, so I can do this" he said, reaching for her face, his hand slipping into her hair as he kissed her again. She didn't think she'd ever get tired of that feeling, the flutter in her chest as their lips moved, the tingle that ran through her as his fingers moved over her neck, her back, her hair.

"Oh, good plan" she teased as she lay down, Severus joining her, lying face to face as they'd done at home during the holidays.

"I'm glad you approve" he grinned, leaning in to kiss her again, his hand gliding along her waist, over her hips. Yes, she definitely approved, sighing as she ran her hand through his hair, keeping him as close as she possibly could. The day was certainly taking a much more pleasant turn now.

...

"Look, James, I'm going to keep hold of this now" Remus told him as he removed the map from his hands.

"Come on, Moony, that's not fair" James protested.

"Yes, it is. You've been following him, watching him since we got back. It's been almost a month. Whatever you think is going on is entirely in your head!" Remus told him, resisting the urge to cuff him around the ear. His tempers were wearing thin as it was, it was only a few days before the next full moon and all he wanted was some peace and quiet. Would he get it? Of course not. James was still determined to prove that Snape was up to something, he was up to no good.

There were a few times Remus thought he was finally getting through to him. But then something would happen and James would get wound straight back up again, reaching for the map to see 'What Snivellus was up to'. The fact that they'd never actually caught him doing anything wrong didn't seem to penetrate into James' brain.

"I still say there's something going on" James snapped.

"And what if there is?" Remus snapped back, "What do you expect us to do about it?"

"I just want to know, we could let Dumbledore know..."

"If there's something going on, he probably already knows" Remus reasoned.

"What about Evans, she's always hiding away with him"

"Is this all about Evans?" Remus asked. Of course it would be. Lily bloody Evans. Remus was getting sick of it. He had no issues with Lily whatsoever, they'd had plenty of friendly conversations, and really, he didn't have any issues with Snape. True, he couldn't ever see them being friends, but that didn't mean he was up to anything wrong. And he trusted Lily could figure out Snape by herself, she'd known him for long enough. And she wasn't stupid.

"Look, I know you like her, James. But, she's clearly happy with Snape" Remus said quietly. James sighed.

"Yeah, plenty more fish in the sea, mate" Sirius laughed.

"I still don't trust him though. He's still having all those meetings with Dumbledore, that's not normal. He doesn't meet with anyone else"

"Maybe Dumbledore is offering support, he's obviously not had a great home life, the only way he could leave here for Christmas was to stay at Lily's house. And then, with his Dad dying like that, it's no wonder he needs some support" Remus explained. James frowned, clearly not liking his reasoning.

"But he was meeting Dumbledore all last term, and before fifth year ended. Explain that then" James said, looking triumphant.

"Maybe Dumbledore was helping him get away from the other Slytherins, he did move him to his own room after all" he told him. James frowned again. "Severus was attacked several times last term, we intervened in Hogsmeade. I think they're trying to punish him for turning away from the Death Eaters"

"They don't like anyone leaving their ranks, even if they haven't been marked" Sirius told them with a dark expression on his face, no doubt thinking about his family.

"Look, there's a lot of rumours floating around, we need to stop listening to them" Remus added.

"Yeah, but Snape is clever, what if he really is the one who's behind it all, to make himself look like the victim" James said.

"Then Dumbledore will figure it out, won't he?"

"Figure out what?" Lily's voice suddenly joined the conversation, they hadn't even noticed the portrait opening.

"Nothing" James mumbles miserably.

"Figure out what?" she asked again, arms folded.

"Snape" James spat out.

"There's nothing to figure out. He's not 'up to' anything" she told them, sighing in frustration.

"I keep telling them that" Remus said, rolling his eyes at his two friends.

"We're on the same side, Potter, regardless of what you think" she told them, "He doesn't believe the same as the morons he used to share a dorm with, that's why he was moved"

"But how do you _know_ that?" James asked.

"Because I know him. Look, you think he's so dangerous? When was the last time he attacked you? Actually hexed you? Not defending himself because you were following him and hexed him first" she asked. Remus almost laughed.

"I, er. I don't know" James finally admitted.

"Kind of proves my point. He isn't following you around, he isn't planning pranks against you all, he isn't throwing out hexes at anyone. He just wants to be left alone. Is that so much to ask?" she asked them. It wasn't really, and she was right. Severus Snape's behaviour had changed drastically over the last year. The least James and Sirius could do was back off and leave him be.

"Fine" James finally agreed, not sure how long for, but he'd agreed. Lily nodded and turned to head for the stairs. "So where've you been all day?" he shouted after her, unable to let it slide.

"You've been watching the map haven't you? You tell me" she challenged. Sirius laughed.

"Are you sure it's a good idea, hiding away with him like that?" he couldn't leave it, could he?

"I wanted to spend some time with him on my birthday, is that a crime?" she shrugged, clearly not worried in the slightest.

"Oh, happy birthday" James mumbled.

"Thanks. Good night" she told them, finally making her escape.

"You need to give it up, Prongs" Sirius said, still laughing. "She's never going to leave him"

"Probably not" James admitted. And that, was most likely the crux of the problem. He wanted Lily Evans, and she wanted Severus Snape. And that was something James could not get his head around, he had no idea how someone bright and bubbly like Lily, could want someone who seemed dark and moody like Severus. Surely she should want James? Or so James thought anyway. James believed himself to be charming and witty, and could never lose a girl to 'Snivellus'. And Remus wondered if James would ever get over it, ever stop blaming Snape, or trying to prove he was 'evil' to make himself feel better. Remus suspected there was more than met the eye when it came to Severus Snape, and James was too blinkered to see it.

...

 _Severus hurried around Dumbledore's office, Albus slumped in his usual chair, semi-conscious while Severus worked frantically. Severus kept his wand aimed on Albus' blackened hand, muttering an array of incantations, tipping a goblet of thick, golden potion down Dumbledore's throat. Severus stopped his work as Albus' eyes fluttered open._

 _"Why, why did you put on that ring? It carries a curse, surely you realised that. Why would you even touch it?" he asked frustratedly, staring at the cracked ring and Gryffindors sword lying on the desk._

 _"I... was a fool. Sorely tempted"_

 _"Tempted by what?" Severus interrupted. Albus stayed silent. "It is a miracle you managed to return here!" Severus snapped furiously. "That ring carries a curse of extraordinary power, to contain it is all that we can hope for; I have trapped the curse in one hand for the time being -" Albus lifted the blackened hand, examining it curiously._

 _"You have done very well, Severus. How long do you think I have?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly._

 _"I cannot tell" he said hesitantly, "Maybe a year. There is no halting such a spell forever. It will spread, eventually, it is the sort of curse that strengthens over time" he explained. Albus smiled, annoying him no end._

 _"I am fortunate, extremely fortunate, that I have you, Severus"_

 _"If you had summoned me a little earlier, I might have been able to do more, buy you more time!" he said furiously, glancing at the sword and broken ring once more, "Did you think that breaking the ring would break the curse?" he asked curiously._

 _"Something like that... I was delirious no doubt..." Albus replied, adjusting himself in his chair. "Well, really, this makes things much more straightforward" Severus stared at him, confused at the turn in conversation. Dumbledore smiled, "I refer to the plan Lord Voldemort is revolving around me. His plan to have the poor Malfoy boy murder me" he explained. Severus sank down into his usual chair, desperate to say more about the Headmaster's cursed hand, but Albus held his hand up in polite refusal. Severus scowled._

 _"The Dark Lord does not expect Draco to succeed. This is merely punishment for Lucius's recent failures. Slow torture for Draco's parents, while they watch him fail and pay the price"_

 _"In short, the boy has a death sentence upon him as surely as I have" said Albus. "Now, I should have thought the natural successor to the job, once Draco fails, is yourself?" he queried. Severus paused, not wanting to discuss it._

 _"That, I think, is the Dark Lord's plan"_

 _"Lord Voldemort foresees a moment in the near future when he will not need a spy at Hogwarts?"_

 _"He believes the school will soon be in his grasp, yes"_

 _"And if it does fall into his grasp, I have your word that you will do all in your power to protect the students of Hogwarts?" he asked. Severus nodded. "Good. Now then. Your first priority will be to discover what Draco is up to. A frightened teenage boy is a danger to others as well as to himself. Offer him help and guidance, he ought to accept, he likes you - "_

 _"- much less since his father has lost favour. Draco blames me, he thinks I have usurped Lucius's position" Severus cut in._

 _"All the same, try. I am concerned less for myself than for any accidental victims of whatever schemes might occur to the boy. Ultimately, of course, there is only one thing to be done if we are to save him from Lord Voldemort's wrath"_

 _"Are you intending to let him kill you?" Severus asked, raising his eyebrows._

 _"Certainly not._ You _must kill me"_

 **A/N Dream based on the Deathly Hallows, the Prince's Tale**.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"It would seem we have much to discuss, Severus" Dumbledore told him as he rummaged through the shelves of tiny vials and bottles.

"The ring? Another piece of Him?" Severus asked, though he was almost certain that was the case.

"Yes. And this clue is something we may be able to follow up on. I may have the answers to some of our questions already" he informed him, continuing his search, peering carefully at the hand-written labels. Severus nodded slowly, trying not to get his hopes up too high. After almost two months, another memory had finally revealed itself in his dreams, a memory which finally ended the stalemate they'd found themselves in. "Ah, this is the one we need" Dumbledore told him cheerfully, turning to face him, holding up a small crystal bottle, filled with a swirling, shimmering substance.

"A memory, Sir?" Severus asked.

"A memory, given to me by one Bob Ogden" the Headmaster said, setting the bottle down on the table. Dumbledore moved to the Pensieve on his desk, using his wand to gather up Severus' recently viewed memory, placing it carefully in an empty bottle. "Bob Ogden was employed by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, this memory shows a rather interesting visit he made during his investigations" he added. Severus nodded, was Dumbledore actually going to 'show' him? Finally reveal something of their quest to him? He certainly hoped so. Dumbledore removed the stopper from the selected bottle, tipping Bob Ogden's silvery memory into the Pensieve.

"Are we both going in, Sir?" Severus asked cautiously. Dumbledore nodded.

"We are, Severus. I believe the time is right to begin discussing things in a little more detail" he answered. Severus took a deep breath, nervous and relieved. He was going to get some answers, but would he like what Dumbledore had to show him? "Are you ready?" the Headmaster asked with a raised eyebrow. Severus nodded, plunging his face into the swirling contents of the basin, feeling himself leaving the office, falling through the darkness until he landed on a country lane, blinded by the sunlight. Blinking against the brightness as he noticed Dumbledore right beside him.

Severus spotted a short, plump, bizarrely dressed man a short distance from them, who set off down the lane at a brisk pace. Severus glanced at the signpost they passed - _Great Hangleton, 5 miles_ behind them, and _Little Hangleton, 1 mile,_ the direction they were headed. The two of them continued to follow Bob Ogden down the lane, nothing but hedgerows around them and blue sky above. Suddenly, the lane curved away, sloping steeply down the hillside, Little Hangleton on display, nestled in the valley between two steep hills.

Ogden trotted on, his speed increasing thanks to the steep slope, Dumbledore and Severus hurried to keep pace with the man. Ogden's frock coat vanished through an almost invisible gap in the hedge, leading to a dirt track. They followed Ogden as the hedgerows became higher and wilder than on the lane they left behind. The track opened into a cool, dark copse of trees.

Severus spotted an old building, half hidden amongst the trees, nettles growing up to the filthy windows, mossy walls, missing roof tiles. A grimy window opened, a trickle of steam poured out. Ogden stepped forwards, wand in hand, staring at the front door nervously, at the dead snake nailed to it.

A rustle and a crack, and a man in rags dropped from the nearest tree, right in front of Ogden - who promptly jumped backwards tripping over his own coat. The filthy man in front of them hissed menacingly. A terrifying sight to behold - hair so dirty and matted it was impossible to tell its colour, teeth missing, eyes seeming to stare in opposite directions. Ogden stepped away again before speaking.

"Er - good morning. I'm from the Ministry of Magic -" the filthy man hissed at him again. "Er - I'm sorry - I don't understand you" Ogden told him nervously.

"The hissing, Sir?" Severus asked quietly. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and smiled. Severus glanced at the dead snake again, "Parseltongue?" he asked.

"Very good, Severus" Dumbledore nodded and smiled approvingly. The man in the rags advanced on Ogden, knife in one hand, wand in the other.

"Now, look -" Ogden began, but there was a bang, and Ogden was on the ground, clutching his nose, a nasty yellowish goo squirted from between his fingers.

"Morfin!" said a loud voice. An elderly man hurried out of the cottage, slamming the door behind him. He stood next to the man with the knife, now cackling with laughter at the sight of Ogden on the ground. "Ministry, is it?" the older man asked.

"Correct" Ogden replied angrily, dabbing his face, "And you, I take it, are Mr Gaunt?"

"'S right. Got you in the face, did he?"

"Yes, he did" he snapped.

"Should've made your presence known, shouldn't you?" said Gaunt aggressively "This is private property. Can't just walk in here and not expect my son to defend himself"

"Defend himself against what, man?" Ogden asked, pulling himself back up to his feet.

"Busybodies. Intruders. Muggles and filth" he stated. Ogden aimed his wand at his nose, stopping the stream of yellow pus. Mr Gaunt hissed and Morfin out of the corner of his mouth, a threatening look in addition had Morfin lumbering back into the cottage.

"It's your son I'm here to see, Mr Gaunt" said Ogden as he finished cleaning his coat, "That was Morfin wasn't it?"

"Ar, that was Morfin" he answered indifferently. "Are you pureblood?" he asked, suddenly aggressive.

"That's neither here nor there" he answered coldly. Gaunt appeared to think differently, squinting into Ogden's face.

"Now I come to think of it, I've seen noses like yours down in the village"

"I don't doubt it, if your son's been let loose on them. Perhaps we could continue this discussion inside"

"Inside?"

"Yes, Mr Gaunt. I've already told you. I'm here about Morfin. We sent an owl -"

"I've no use for owls, I don't open letters" Gaunt told him.

"Then you can hardly complain that you get no warning of visitors" he snapped, "I am here following a serious breech of Wizarding law which occurred here in the early hours of this morning -"

"All right, all right, all right! Come in the bleeding house, then, and much good it'll do you!" Gaunt yelled.

Severus and Dumbledore followed Ogden into the tiny cottage. The main room seemed to serve as a kitchen and living room, Morfin was now sitting in a filthy armchair beside a smoking fire, twisting a live adder between his thick fingers, hissing at the thing. A scuffling noise drew Severus' attention, he turned to see a girl in a ragged dress, the same shade of grey as the stone wall behind her. She stood beside a steaming pot on a grimy black stove, fiddling around the shelf of squalid looking pots and pans.

"M' daughter, Merope" said Gaunt, as Ogden looked enquiringly at her.

"Good morning" said Ogden. Merope didn't answer, she merely turned her back on the room after a frightened glance at her father, continuing to shift the pots and pans on the shelf. "Well, Mr Gaunt, to get straight to the point, we have reason to believe that your son Morfin performed magic in front of a Muggle late last night" Ogden told him. There was a deafening 'clang' as Merope dropped one of the pots.

"Pick it up!" Gaunt yelled at her, "That's it, grub on the floor like some filthy Muggle, what's your wand for, you useless sack of muck?"

"Mr Gaunt, please!" Ogden said, shocked. Merope flushed as she picked up the pot, only to drop it again as she lost her grip. She pulled her wand shakily from her pocket, muttering a hasty, inaudible spell, causing the pot to shoot across the floor, cracking in two as it hit the opposite wall.

Morfin let out a mad cackle of laughter.

"Mend it, you pointless lump, mend it!" Gaunt screamed. Merope stumbled across the room, but before she could raise her own wand, Ogden had lifted his own, mending the pot with a firmly cast _Reparo._

"Lucky the nice man from the Ministry's here, isn't it?" he jeered at his daughter, "Perhaps he'll take you off my hands, perhaps he doesn't mind dirty Squibs..."

Merope picked up the mended pot, without a word or look at anyone, and returned it to the shelf with trembling hands. Taking her place in the corner again, back against the wall, looking as though all she wanted was to sink into the stone wall and vanish.

"Mr Gaunt, as I've said: the reason for my visit -"

"I heard you the first time!" Gaunt snapped "And so what? Morfin gave a Muggle a bit of what was coming to him - what about it, then?"

"Morfin has broken Wizarding law" Ogden told him sternly.

" _Morfin has broken Wizarding law"_ Gaunt mocked in a pompous, sing song voice. Morfin cackled. "He taught a filthy Muggle a lesson, that's illegal now, is it?"

"Yes, I'm afraid it is" Ogden told him, pulling a roll of parchment from an inside pocket.

"What's that, then, his sentence?" Gaunt asked angrily.

"It is a summons to the Ministry, for a hearing -"

"Summons! Summons? Who do you think you are, summoning my son anywhere?"

"I'm the head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad" said Ogden.

"And you think we're scum, do you?" screamed Gaunt, advancing on Ogden, a dirty yellow-nailed finger pointing at his chest "Scum who'll come running when the Ministry tells 'em to? Do you know who you're talking to, you filthy little Mudblood, do you?"

"I was under the impression that I was speaking to Mr Gaunt" Ogden replied.

"That's right!" Gaunt roared, waving his middle finger under Ogden's nose, showing him an ugly black stoned ring. The ring? "See this? See this? Know what it is? Know where it came from? Centuries it's been in our family, that's how far we go, and pureblood all the way! Know how much I've been offered for this, with the Peverell coat of arms engraved on the stone?"

"I've really no idea, and it's quite beside the point, Mr Gaunt. Your son has committed -"

Gaunt flew at his daughter with a howl of rage, his hand grabbed at her throat; next moment he was dragging her towards Ogden by a gold chain around her neck.

"See this?" Gaunt bellowed, shaking the heavy gold locket as Merope gasped and spluttered.

"I see it, I see it!" Ogden said hastily.

"Slytherin's!" Gaunt yelled, "Salazar Slytherin's! We're his last living descendents, what do you say to that, eh?"

"Mr Gaunt, your daughter!" said Ogden, alarmed. Gaunt released her and she staggered away, back to her corner, massaging her neck.

"So!" Gaunt shouted triumphantly, "Don't you go talking to us as if we're dirt on your shoes! Generations of purebloods, wizards all - more than you can say, I don't doubt!" Gaunt spat on the floor at Ogden's feet, Morfin cackled again, Merope huddled beside the window, her head bowed and her face hidden by her lank hair. Silent.

"I believe we have seen enough for today, Severus" Dumbledore told him. Severus nodded in agreement as he felt himself being lifted out of the Pensieve, finding he was back in Dumbledore's office, staring down at the swirling contents of the stone basin once again.

"The ring, Sir, it is the same one as I saw destroyed in the memory?" Severus asked.

"It certainly looked that way. An ancient heirloom of the Wizarding world"

"Why would he choose the ring, if it was a Gaunt family heirloom?" Severus asked.

"Perhaps if I told you Gaunt's first name that would make things clearer"

"Sir?"

"Marvolo" Dumbledore stated.

"Marvolo? As in Tom Marvolo Riddle?" Severus asked, his eyes widening.

"The same, Severus"

"So, Gaunt is his grandfather, Sir?"

"Precisely"

"And the girl, Merope, his mother?"

"Yes, and the Muggle that Morfin 'taught a lesson'. Tom Riddle Senior. Marvolo and Morfin were sent to Azkaban. Once free of their control, Merope was able to control her powers, and plotted to escape them permanently.

"The Muggle didn't love her though, did he?"

"He did not. As I told you before, he was tricked into marrying Merope. When he became aware of this and broke free, he left her, never to see her again" Severus nodded, sinking down into his chair, mulling over this new information.

"So the ring is important to him. He put a piece of himself in it?" Severus asked, meeting Dumbledore's gaze.

"We can add the ring to the list. Another piece of the jigsaw we have to find"

"Do you have any idea where the ring might be hidden, Sir? If it's even been hidden yet, he might wear it every day for all we know" Severus suggested, that was the drawback of getting memories from the future - they could find out 'what' they were looking for, and potentially where it was 'going' to be, but they had no idea 'when' it was going to be there.

"Just a hunch, Severus, but I believe the ring has already been hidden. And I believe I have an idea where to start looking"

"Can I come with you, Sir?" Severus asked suddenly.

"Perhaps. But I need to investigate first. I will not go without discussing matters further" the Headmaster told him. Severus nodded, Dumbledore's answer had rather surprised him, he's expected a flat out 'no'. Well, it still might be a no, for all he knew, but at least he would be involved in the discussions. He could make sure he took 'someone' with him, even if it wasn't him. Someone needed to make sure Dumbledore didn't put on the ring, an older Severus might be able to slow the curse down, but a seventeen year old Severus? He wouldn't stand a chance. And if Dumbledore was lost now, the War essentially was too.

...

The group of boys sat in the black leather chairs, idly reclining by the fireplace in the Slytherin common room.

"Time is getting on, and we're still no closer to having him join the cause" Avery started.

"I still don't know why he thinks it's a good idea, there's plenty of others to choose from" Wilkes added. Evan Rosier nodded in agreement.

"For some reason, Malfoy thinks he's important" he told them.

"But it doesn't make sense, though. He might be smart, but there's plenty of smart people to choose from. Snape isn't the only one who's created his own spells" Avery told them.

"Yes, but none of us have. There seems to be a knack for it, and Snape has it" Rosier said.

"It's too dangerous to go after him, last time we tried that, Mulciber got himself expelled!" Wilkes told them.

"Only because he stupidly got himself caught using an Unforgivable!" Rosier snapped. The others sighed in frustration "The Dark Lord doesn't care, Mulciber is training with some other members of the circle. He'll be marked soon enough"

"So why not leave it to Mulciber? Let him go after Snape during the next holidays" Avery suggested.

"Malfoy wants Snape as soon as possible. We know he's still having these meetings with Dumbledore, and it's not detention because he's been keeping out of trouble" Rosier said.

"Mmm. He's not even been fighting with Potter and his little friends" Avery agreed.

"So, he must have information then" Rosier reasoned.

"You can't know that, though" Regulus Black put forward, finally joining the conversation.

"True. But we need to find out"

"I thought after the Hogsmeade incident, Lucius had given up on Snape being recruited" Wilkes said.

"Initially, yes. But he still thinks he can be swayed, perhaps by 'other' means" Rosier said.

"Black mail?" Wilkes asked.

"The girl. The Mudblood, Evans" Rosier spat.

"While she's in the picture, Snape is never going to willingly join" Avery said.

"Then she needs to be taken out of the picture" Rosier smirked.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? If anything happens to the girl, surely that's only going to make him more determined to stand against us" Black said to the older boys.

"Well, maybe we don't have to hurt her then. Maybe a little Imperius, have her break up with Snape" Rosier suggested, "Or have her throw herself at Potter, that will really make Snape hate her" he laughed cruelly. "Then I guarantee, he'll be ours"

"But if we get caught using an Unforgivable, we'll be expelled" Wilkes protested.

"Then whoever does it, better not get caught. Though I'm sure the Dark Lord's reward will be more than enough to compensate" Rosier added.

 **A/N - first part of the chapter based on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, The House of Gaunt.**


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"Right then, class, you may begin your Wiggenweld potions in your pairs" Professor Slughorn instructed the group.

"I'll gather the ingredients, Sev, you get the cauldron started" Lily told him, standing and making her way over to the supply cupboard. Severus got the base ready, lighting the fire beneath the cauldron, ready for Lily to return with the extra things they needed. Severus already had the book open at the relevant page, though he was already familiar with the potion they were creating today, Lily and himself had brewed this before.

"Salamander blood for you, Sev" she said, handing him the small vial. Severus added the blood, waiting for the potion to turn red, before stirring the potion until it changed to a vivid orange. Severus repeated the process again as it changed to yellow, then green, adding more blood until they reached turquoise. Severus left the potion to heat then, waiting for the potion to change colour again.

"Is everything ok, Sev?" she asked as they watched the cauldron.

"Hmm. I don't know, Lily" he admitted. He'd felt on edge for the last week, since the last memory. On the one hand, it was reassuring that the memories were continuing, that he was still getting information about Voldemort that could help Dumbledore. But on the other hand, it was frustrating, for all the clues they were getting, it was still a waiting game. They still didn't have _all_ the information, and they didn't have a timeframe for actually searching for the hidden bits of Voldemort's soul and destroying them. And during the waiting, Voldemort was growing stronger, gathering forces, drawing those on the fringes of the War to his side, swaying them with his promises of power. Severus worried that it was only a matter of time before Avery and his little group targeted him again, he was aware of the looks they shot his way. Something was coming. Soon. He just wished he knew what it was.

And he hadn't heard from his mother since he came back to school at the beginning of January. He'd written to her several times, using Apollo to take the letters, but every time he'd returned with nothing.

"Sev?" she probed gently as he'd got lost in his thoughts.

"Sorry. Just thinking" he told her. Moving on to the next step of the potion as they saw it change colour. Severus once again added Salamander blood till it changed to a delicate pink, leaving it on the heat again, watching for yet another colour change. He could see Lily out of the corner of his eye, counting out the lionfish spines, ready for the next steps of the brewing process. Severus looked quickly around the room, seeing that Professor Slughorn on the other side of the room, fussing over Avery's poor excuse for a potion. Severus cast a _Muffliato_ before speaking, but keeping his eyes firmly on their cauldron.

"I still haven't heard anything from my mother" he said quietly.

"Oh? Did Apollo come back with nothing again?" she asked. Severus nodded.

"Hmm. He came back this morning"

"Do you think she's ok?" Lily asked.

"I hope so. But I've got no way of knowing. She didn't want me at the house before I came back to school, she's not replying to my letters" he explained, pausing as the potion turned bright red, taking the lionfish spines from Lily and adding them to the cauldron, leaving it to heat again. "I just hoped that with _him_ out the way, she'd behave differently towards me" he said sadly. With his mother behaving the way she did, he couldn't help but feel his mother cared as little for him as his father had done.

"Do you think it's because she's grieving?" Lily asked. Of course she would see things differently, "She could just be struggling to adjust" she added. Severus shrugged.

"I really don't know. I wish I did. I'd asked her about coming home at Easter this year, but with no reply I don't know what to think" he told her, pausing once again to add the next portion of lionfish spines, and picking up the flobberworm mucus, beginning the next stage of additions and colour changes, stirring and adding until he finally had a lovely orange. Severus turned to Lily, stepping aside so she could add the honeywater, once it became a vibrant turquoise, Severus began heating it again, sitting back down to watch for the next change in colour.

"You know you can come home with me, Sev. That way you can go and visit her in person, see if that helps" Lily told him gently.

"Thanks, Lily. I'll think about it" he told her.

"You know you're always welcome. You're part of the family" she smiled.

"It's funny, being with you over Christmas, it's the first time I felt part of a family" he smiled sadly, reaching for the Salamander blood again as the potion had changed colour. Severus removed the heat now the final step was complete. He turned to face Lily now, finding her smiling warmly at him.

"What?" he queried.

"Family" she smiled. He nodded. They were a family, they always would be. _Soft sod_ , his brain informed him. He didn't care.

Seeing Professor Slughorn making his way around the room, checking on the students progress now the lesson was almost over. Severus lifted his _Muffliato_ as he approached their bench.

"Ah, Mr Snape, Miss Evans! Marvellous work, everything looking exactly as it should, not that I'd expect anything less from you two" he beamed happily.

"Thank you, Sir" Lily answered happily as Slughorn bustled away.

The two of them quickly cleaned up their bench, returning unused ingredients and bottling the potion for their Professor, Severus quickly cleaning his cauldron.

Students began filing out the class after handing their own potion samples to Slughorn. Severus and Lily left hand in hand, walking separately to the other students.

"Was there something else bothering you, Sev?" she asked quietly. Severus shrugged.

"Just the usual, going round my head. I hate the waiting around" he admitted quietly.

"I know" she told him, "Waiting is never fun"

"Patience is a virtue" the Headmaster told them, stepping from around the corner. Severus tightened his grip on Lily's hand.

"Yes, Sir" Severus replied.

"Could I borrow you for a short time, Mr Snape?" he asked.

"Of course, Sir" Severus answered, "I'll see you in the Great Hall soon, Lily" he said to her. Lily nodded as Severus squeezed her fingers before hurrying away with Dumbledore. He didn't really want to leave her right now, he wanted her company. It was the only thing that seemed to calm him in the slightest.

Soon, they were safely in Dumbledore's office, having ignored the suspicious glances of other students as he was, once again, wandering through the castle with the Headmaster.

"Is something troubling you, Severus?" Dumbledore asked him. Severus sighed.

"At the moment? Mostly my mother" he admitted, "I've still heard nothing from her since coming back to school, Sir"

"You've written to her?"

"I have, several times, but Apollo comes back with no reply every time. I'm just not sure what to make of it" he explained.

"I see. Well, that is worrying, Severus. I could have someone check up on her"

"I don't know if that would be wise, Sir" somehow he didn't think that his mother would appreciate strangers suddenly turning up to 'check' on her.

"It would be done very carefully. Covertly" Dumbledore assured him. Severus nodded slowly, he wanted to know _something._ Easter was still well over a month away, that would be the soonest he could go and visit in person, and that was only if Mr and Mrs Evans would allow him to stay with them again. He didn't see a reason they wouldn't let him, but he couldn't rely on that for certain. Dumbledore nodded.

"I thought I should let you have a little update on our own quest" Dumbledore told him, Severus met his eyes questioningly. "I believe I know where the ring may have been hidden"

"Really? Are we going to fetch it soon, then?" Severus found himself asking.

"In good time, Severus. Perhaps during the summer, when there is more time to allow a thorough investigation" he explained. Severus nodded, it still meant waiting, but at least he had more of an idea about how long. It was a start.

"And you won't go alone?" Severus checked.

"I hope you will be able to come with me. If that is not possible, I will take someone trustworthy"

"And don't put the ring on" Severus warned. Dumbledore chuckled.

"No. It is clear from your memories I will find it near impossible to resist if I attempt to retrieve it alone. I hope not to make the same mistake" he told him.

"And what about the Diary, Sir? Are you any closer to figuring out how we can retrieve that?" Severus knew that one was going to be the more difficult one to retrieve of the two items they knew about. Though, some of the others could be more difficult still, and they still had no idea what these items could be.

"Try not to worry, Severus. We still have time, the items are safe and secure, and we will find a way to collect all the pieces" he told him, quite cheerfully. "Now, why don't you head down to lunch, I'm sure Miss Evans will be waiting for you"

"Yes, Sir" Severus nodded, heading for the door.

"And I'll keep you informed, if I discover anything in any of our investigations"

"Thank you, Sir" Severus nodded again, leaving the office, taking his mirror out of a pocket inside his robes to contact Lily as he made his way down the winding staircase.

...

Lily felt the mirror humming in her pocket and stopped in her tracks to take it out.

"Sev, are you done already?" she asked, smiling at his face in the mirror.

"Yes, all done. Where are you?" he asked.

"Just leaving the library, going to lunch. You?"

"Just leaving Dumbledore's office" he answered. Lily nodded. She started walking again as she heard voices coming from behind her. Avery and one of his friends, she couldn't tell who.

"Sev, someone's following me" she whispered as quietly as she could, frowning, panicking as she increased the speed of her footsteps, desperate to get to the Great Hall where she would be surrounded by others.

"Who is it? Is it them?" he whispered back, clearly worried too.

"Avery and someone else" she whispered. Suddenly, Evan Rosier was in front of her as she reached a corner, suppressing a yelp of fear at the expression on his face. She took a step back, attempting to return the way she had come from.

"Alright, Mudblood? Just the girl I'm looking for" Rosier smirked cruelly. Lily swallowed nervously, keeping the mirror up, she could see Severus' face out the corner of her eye, her only comfort at this moment being the fact that Severus could hear what was being said to her.

"What do you want?" she asked them cautiously.

"Just a little word. There's a couple of things you're going to do for us" Avery said, now standing behind her. Lily didn't look at him, merely wondered if she could make any sort of escape, though she doubted it. She hoped Severus was fetching Dumbledore, or anyone, or just coming to her himself. She didn't mind which option he chose, all she knew was that she was outnumbered. Surrounded by three particularly cruel boys.

"I'm not doing anything for you lot" she informed them, though not sounding entirely confident in that statement.

"Oh, I think you'll find we can be very... persuasive" Rosier smirked at her. " _Imperio"_ her muttered menacingly, aiming his wand at her.

Lily felt her eyes widen in surprise as his spell hit her.

"Now, put your mirror away, now is not the time for admiring yourself" Rosier grinned. Lily put the mirror back in her pocket, barely aware of the boys standing behind her. Only the voice from the boy in front, waiting. She didn't know what she was waiting for, must be something though. It didn't really matter. "Now come with us" Rosier's voice instructed. Lily nodded, obediently following as he turned and started to walk away. She had to follow the voice.

They walked in silence, down the corridor and stairs, stopping in the entrance hall.

"Now then. You need to ditch Snape, dump him and make it good. And you need to make a move on Potter, give him a good snog or something. Everyone should be in the Great Hall now, perfectly good audience, so let's get to it. Understand?" he hissed at her. Lily nodded, smiling. Of course she understood, she wasn't stupid. _Dump Snape, Snog Potter. Easy,_ her mind added. Rosier nodded back, pushing her forwards, his wand prodding her in the back, urging her on.

Lily stepped into the Great Hall, scanning around for the boys she needed. _Dump Snape_ ¸ the voice echoed in her head. She couldn't see him anywhere though. Why was that? He was supposed to be here, wasn't he? The voice said.

Lily continued her search, looking for the other boy she'd been told about, _Snog Potter_ , the voice in her head echoed, _Snog Potter._ She spotted him then, sat at the Gryffindor table, surrounded by other boys. They didn't matter, she only needed Potter. Lily walked up behind Potter, nobody even noticed her silent approach. She draped her arms around Potter's shoulders, whispering in his ear

"Hello, Potter" Potter jumped in his seat.

"Evans! What the Hell are you doing?" he asked her, looking confused, jumping off the bench to stand in front of her.

"Don't you want to snog me, Potter?" she asked him, vacant eyes staring at him. _Snog Potter_ the voice reminded her again.

"What? What's going on? Is this one of Snivelly's pranks because it's not funny" Potter hissed at her.

"I need to Snog you" she told him, matter of fact. That was what the voice said. _Why?_ another part of her brain asked her.

"You have a boyfriend - Snape" Potter reminded her. _Dump Snape_ the voice echoed.

"Yeah, I'm dumping Snape" she informed him. _Dump Snape_ the voice reminded. But _why?_ the other voice in her brain asked her again. Her voice.

"That doesn't sound right, you were all cosy in potions this morning. Why are you dumping him?" Potter asked suspiciously.

"I need to dump Snape" she answered blankly. _Do I really?_ Lily frowned. Something didn't make sense, she just wished she knew what. She stepped closer to Potter, trying to do what the voice said, but he stepped away again. Lily frowned. Something wasn't right. She caught Potter looking over her shoulder at something. Lily turned. Snape. _Dump Snape_ the voice shouted louder. _I don't think I want to,_ her own voice argued. Lily's head hurt. Why did nothing make sense anymore?

"Lily, are you ok?" Snape asked her quietly.

"I need to dump you, Snape" she said, though she felt more confused as she said the words out loud. _Why do I need to do that?_

"Who said you do?" Snape asked her. Lily frowned, _don't tell him, you can't tell him._

"The voice says so" she said, biting her lip. Snape nodded.

"You don't have to listen to the voice, Lily. Only your voice" he said softly. Lily took a step back towards Potter, reaching out for him. "What else did the voice tell you to do?" Snape asked. Lily didn't answer, _Dump Snape, Snog Potter_ she heard the voice again. _I don't want to do that!_ her own voice argued. Lily heard a sob escape her as she argued in her head with the voice.

" _Finite Incantatum"_ a strong voice came from somewhere. The Headmaster. The Imperius curse had been lifted. Lily stared at Severus, feeling her eyes filling with tears. What had happened? What had _almost_ happened?

"Are you ok, Lily" Severus asked, stepping towards her, gently touching her arm.

"I don't know" she answered, biting her lip nervously.

"Miss Evans?" Dumbledore's voice came in. Lily met his eyes. "Mr Snape tells me he heard someone placing an Imperius Curse on you, is this true?" he asked. Lily nodded.

"Yes, Sir. Evan Rosier" she whispered quietly.

"He gave you instructions?" Dumbledore asked. Lily nodded.

"To break up with Severus. And kiss Potter in front of everyone" she said, looking at the floor. How could Severus look at her now?

"Did you do either of those things?"

"No," she said, shaking her head "I tried to, but I could hear my own voice too. Nothing made sense in my head" she told them. Severus stroked her arm gently.

"I will see to Mr Rosier's removal, Miss Evans. I'm sure I can leave you in Mr Snape's capable hands, do visit the Hospital Wing if you feel you need to" Dumbledore told them, moving away, back to Evan Rosier who was being held in the doorway by Filch.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Severus asked her. Lily looked at him nervously, not sure what to expect. Would he be mad at her for what she'd tried to do? When she didn't answer, Severus pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her, gently kissing her on the forehead. She cried then. The gentle reassurance from him enough to tip her over the edge. And she cried. She sobbed into his robes as he stroked her hair, making soft 'shushing' sounds.

"I'm so sorry, Sev" she whispered hoarsely

"It's ok, Lily. I heard him place the curse over the mirror. I was still on the steps to Dumbledore's office, so I got him and got down here as quickly as I could. I was so worried about you" he told her, clearly fighting back tears of his own.

"I'd never want to break up with you, Sev. Or kiss _anyone_ else" she told him, pulling back to look up at his face.

"I know" he whispered, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"I knew something wasn't right" Potter's voice suddenly interrupted. Lily had forgotten they were stood with the Marauders. "Are you all right?"

"I will be" she nodded "And thanks, for not, you know" she said quietly.

"Like I said, something wasn't right. And I'm not _that_ much of a jerk" he told her. Lily almost smiled, but not quite. Perhaps in the grand scheme of things he wasn't _that_ bad.

"I need some fresh air, I think" Lily said, looking up at Severus. He nodded, kissing her lightly on the lips, before taking her hand, leading her away from the Hall. She wanted to run away somewhere, escape from what had happened. Even if only for a short time. Lunch didn't seem to matter at the moment. And Severus would follow, wherever she went. She knew that. And she knew they would be ok. She would be ok.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

 _Severus crouched in the undergrowth nervously, his heart rate still racing at the scene that had unfolded in front of him. Weasley's return had been timed almost to perfection, saving Severus from having to reveal himself and save the boy. That would have made things extremely difficult. All he could do now was watch, make sure the boys were successful, and make sure he was not discovered._

 _The boys had moved on to discussing the Patronus and who it could belong to. No one would guess the reality, even Dumbledore had been shocked by it the previous year. Weasley was still clinging on to the locket, and the sword he'd retrieved from the frozen pool._

 _"You didn't see anyone else?" Potter asked his friend._

 _"No, I -" Weasley glanced over to where Severus was hiding, "- I did think I saw something move over there, but I was running to the pool at the time, because you'd gone in and you hadn't come up, so I wasn't going to make a detour to - hey!" he shouted as Potter ran towards his hiding place. Severus held his breath cautiously, checking his disillusionment spell was active. After a moment, Potter returned to Weasley._

 _"Anything there?"_

 _"No" Potter answered._

 _"So how did the sword get in that pool?"_

 _"Whoever cast the Patronus must have put it there" Potter reasoned correctly._

 _"You reckon this is the real one?" Weasley asked as he examined the sword._

 _"One way to find out, isn't there?" Potter told him._

 _Weasley held on the locket, twitching curiously. Severus wished he could get a closer look at what was happening._

 _"Come here" Potter instructed, brushing the snow from a large, flat rock. "No, you should do it" Potter told him as his friend offered the sword._

 _"Me? Why?"_

 _"Because you got the sword out of the pool. I think it's supposed to be you. I'm going to open it, and you stab it. Straight away, ok? Because whatever's in there will put up a fight. The bit of Riddle in the Diary tried to kill me"_

 _"How are you going to open it?" Weasley asked, looking terrified._

 _"I'm going to ask it to open, using Parseltongue"_

 _"No! Don't open it! I'm serious!"_

 _"Why not? Let's just get rid of the damn thing, it's been months -"_

 _"I can't, Harry, I'm serious - you do it -"_

 _"But why?"_

 _"Because that thing's bad for me! I can't handle it! I'm not making excuses, Harry, for what I was like, but it affects me worse then it affected you and Hermione, it made me think stuff, stuff I was thinking anyway, but it, made everything worse, I can't explain it, and then I'd take it off and I'd get my head on straight again, and then I'd have to put the effing thing back on - I can't do it, Harry!" Weasley shouted. Severus was worried, he suspected Potter was right, and if Weasley couldn't destroy it, there was nothing he could do to intervene himself._

 _"You can do it, you can! You've got the sword, I know it's supposed to be you who uses it. Please, just get rid of it, Ron!"_

 _"Tell me when"_

 _"On three. One...Two...Three..." and a hiss followed as Potter spoke to the locket in Parseltongue. Severus caught sight of the locket opening, Potter shouting at the other boy to stab it as he kept the locket firmly on the rock._

 _A voice came hissing out of the locket, echoing around the trees. Severus tried to shut it out. The Dark Lord. A piece of him, tormenting the Weasley boy, trying to stop its destruction. Severus heard the voice continue its teasing and torment, Potter shouting at his friend to ignore the voice, stab the locket._

 _Distorted figures of Potter and the Granger girl rose from the locket, the Dark Lord moving on to the next stop in torturing the boy. Potter continued to shout at his friend to stab the locket._

 _"Do it!" Potter yelled, "Ron -"_

 _Weasley brought the sword down on the locket, and the locket screamed. And then silence. No hissing. No talking figures._

 _All that was left was a destroyed locket, lying on the rock, smashed glass, silk lining still smoking. That little piece of the Dark Lord was dead. With a sigh of relief, Severus disapparated, returning to Hogwarts to continue in his duties._

 _..._

It was a beautiful day, spring was trying to make its presence known - though being March, it wasn't warm. But the sky was mostly blue, the grass was green, and spring flowers were starting to bloom, providing the breeze with a delicate fragrance.

Lily and Severus were outside, enjoying the fresh air and bright skies, seated by the lake against a rock. Lily's cloak was spread across the ground, so they could sit more comfortably. Severus lay on the cloak, on his back, his head resting in her lap as she stroked his hair away from his face.

"It's such a beautiful day" Lily said as she gazed out across the lake.

"Mmm" he agreed. Lily looked down at him, to see his eyes closed, looking totally relaxed as he rested against her.

"So peaceful. I wish we could stay here all day" she told him. And she meant it. They could hear other students milling about up towards the Castle, but nobody bothered them. In fact, since Rosier had been expelled last month for using the Imperius Curse on her, the Slytherins had barely even glanced in her direction. And for that, she was grateful, she was nervous about walking alone in the Castle, and she knew Severus felt the same way. He wouldn't leave her anywhere if it meant she would be alone, he always made sure she was left with people she could trust - mostly Mary and Alice, though on a couple of occasions she had walked with Remus and Potter.

"Me too" he replied eventually, disrupting her current chain of thought. "I need to go and see Dumbledore again soon, only a quick visit" he told her, opening his eyes to look at her then.

"Oh?"

"I had another one, last night" he told her quietly, even though he'd cast a _Muffliato_ to avoid any eavesdroppers "I just want to drop it off, so he can take a look before our official meeting tomorrow"

"Is it strange one, or did it have anything useful?"

"Useful. I'm pretty certain I saw another one of His hiding places destroyed" he explained.

"A bit of his soul?" she frowned.

"Yes. In a locket, and I'm sure I've seen that locket before" he whispered.

"Really, where?" she asked curiously.

"In something Dumbledore showed me a few weeks ago. At least, I'm pretty sure it's the same locket"

"When was it destroyed? Sometime soon?" she asked, though the question sounded ridiculous.

"No, way in the future. Not too long before my death judging by how I looked" he told her. She didn't like the sound of that, didn't want to think about his death, in this life or in the memories from a different life.

"Who destroyed it?" she asked him. Severus sighed.

"A friend of your son" he whispered, looking away again. Clearly the son was still a difficult subject, even though he was never going to exist in their lives.

"How did they destroy it?" she asked him cautiously.

"Sword of Gryffindor. Apparently I took it to them specifically to destroy the locket. I was hidden, so my cover wouldn't get blown, I led your son to where I hid the sword using a Patronus" he explained. Clever. Lily continued stroking his hair as he looked up at her.

"Any idea on where you can find the locket?"

"No, unfortunately. Maybe Dumbledore will have some ideas, who knows what other memories he's got hidden away in his office"

"Well, at least you've got something to add to your list"

"Yes, that's at least three things we know of, to find and destroy - the Diary, the ring, and the locket. Who knows how many more there are" he said, sighing.

"It will be ok. You'll figure it out" she said confidently, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I wish I had your optimism, Lily" he said, smiling sadly as she pulled away.

"I'll just have to be optimistic for the both of us" she declared confidently. If that was the support he needed from her, then she would gladly do it, he was getting these memories for a reason. He was more than capable of solving the problem, she didn't know anyone who matched him intelligence-wise. "You'll do it" she affirmed again, his smile becoming warmer as she grinned down at him. Severus sighed, closing his eyes again.

"Have you decided what you want to do for the Easter Holidays?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I still haven't heard from my mother" he said, looking into her eyes again.

"Mum said you're welcome to stay with us"

"I think I'd like that" he said, reaching up to stroke her cheek, his fingers slipping into her hair. "I can go and check on her myself, see if I can get any answers out of her, or find out why she hasn't replied to any of my letters"

"I really thought she'd start writing to you, after, you know" she told him.

"Me too" he admitted, "Dumbledore was going to try and find out how she was, but didn't really find much"

"That's a shame"

"He could find out more if he sent someone to her house, to actually talk to her, but I don't want to resort to that yet"

"That's understandable, I don't think she'd really like it if someone she wasn't expecting suddenly appeared on her doorstep" Lily agreed, his mother had always been very private from what she'd seen, and heard from Severus, and in all the years she'd known him, Mrs Snape had spoken few words to her. Severus nodded. "Well, you'll just have to come home with me" she smiled. She liked that plan anyway, she'd missed talking to him as they fell asleep since they got back to school. True, they had the mirrors now, but it wasn't the same as actually _being_ in the same room.

"Hmm. Home with you" he smiled, "I like the sound of that"

"You'll always have a home with me" she told him sincerely, meaning it completely. Severus pushed himself up to sitting then, slipping his hand back into her hair, pulling her into a passionate kiss, her own hands clutching his robes tightly. She was totally at home in his arms, and knew he felt exactly the same.

A rustle interrupted their blissful escape, the sound of someone nearby. They broke apart sharply, both worried about a sneak attack, or simply someone hoping to hear what they'd been discussing - not that they'd have any luck with that. Lily frowned as Severus slowly stood, peering over the large rock they'd been sitting behind. She saw him frown.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"Nothing. There's no one there" he frowned, starting to walk around the rock.

"You heard it too though, right?" she asked, completely sure she hadn't imagined it. Severus nodded.

"Oh, I heard it" he confirmed.

"Do you think someone is hiding?" she asked, though didn't know how they could be.

"I don't know" he shrugged, "But something isn't right"

"Do you want to go back inside?" she asked him.

"I think we should. I still need to go and see Dumbledore, why don't you come with me, then we can go to the library afterwards" he suggested.

"Is it ok for me to come?" she asked him, she hadn't been with him to the Headmaster's office for months.

"Yes it's fine, I won't be there long" he assured her.

"Alright then" she nodded, getting up from the floor, lifting her cloak and carrying it over her arm.

Severus nodded, reaching for her hand, the two of them making their way back to the Castle in silence, casting cautious glances around them as they went, still feeling uneasy at the mystery interruption.

...

James Potter cursed inwardly as his feet caught in some leaves, he'd not been paying much attention to the ground around him, purely focused on keeping the invisibility cloak covering him completely. He'd seen Lily Evans and Severus Snape leaving together after the apparition lesson this morning, and wanted to follow them. He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't seem to help himself.

He hadn't really expected them to go outside, he thought they'd have headed for the library, he knew if he got close enough to listen to some of their conversation he'd be able to figure out what was going on with Snape.

James had stepped back as softly as he could when Snape made his way around the rock, a sinking feeling in his stomach that they knew _someone_ was there. Not that they could see him, but it was suspicious. But try as he might, he couldn't hear a word they said to each other, he could only hear a buzzing noise - probably another of Snape's creations. He could see their lips moving as they discussed - whatever it was. Must be something serious if they went to the trouble of disguising their conversations.

The buzzing stopped as they made their way back to the Castle, he must have ended the spell, but still, they didn't talk to each other - they really were a paranoid pair, _weren't they?_ _Well you are trying to listen in on them,_ another part of his brain reasoned. Perhaps he wasn't the only one trying to gather information about Snape.

James had expected them to head to the library, where they spent the majority of their spare time, or perhaps even his room seeing as they'd had a good snog interrupted - _don't go there,_ his brain told him. That thought was disturbing to say the least. It surprised him greatly when he realised they had in fact made their way to the Headmaster's office.

Why would they be going to Dumbledore? Surely not because of the noise? There had to be another reason for them coming here. Why _did_ Snape come here so often? It really made no sense. He didn't think he was ever going to figure out Snape. James desperately wanted to follow the couple into Dumbledore's office, but that was something he didn't dare do. He had the sneaky suspicion that Dumbledore would figure out he was there, even if Snape didn't. And if they found out, then there would be a whole new level of anger on their part, and who knew what kind of punishment he'd get.

The only thing he could do was head back out quietly, find his friends and join in with whatever they were doing. He knew he could tell Sirius about this, he'd understand why he was following, why he needed to know more. Sirius trusted Snape as little as he did. But Remus was another story. Remus still kept hold of their map, determined to keep him from following them around too much. For some reason, Remus trusted Snape, only a little bit, but enough that it annoyed him. And he didn't know how upset Remus would be if he told him he'd been following him under his cloak. James _knew_ something was going on with Snape and Dumbledore - good or bad, he didn't know which. And he needed to make the others understand he couldn't be blindly trusted, they needed more information. And James Potter would keep on trying to get it.

 **Dream base on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow - The Silver Doe.**


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"I have another memory to show you, I think you'll find it most interesting, Severus" Dumbledore told him as he entered the Headmasters office.

"About the locket?" Severus asked, it was clear from the last memory that the locket housed the same thing as the Diary - the boy had referred to the Diary trying to kill him, and Dumbledore and the memories confirmed that the Diary contained a piece of Voldemort's soul.

"Yes, Severus. The locket"

"It's the same one as in the Gaunt House, isn't it, Sir?"

"Indeed it is. Merope disappeared with the locket after her father was taken to Azkaban" Dumbledore explained.

"Then what happened to it?" Severus asked curiously.

"She eventually sold it, to Mr Burke, desperate for money, as her husband left her during her pregnancy"

"So if she sold it, how did Voldemort find it again?"

"Now, that is what I have to show you today, Severus" he told him with a smile. Severus nodded slowly, eager to fill in some more of the details, keen to solve this intricate puzzle.

Dumbledore lifted the Pensieve onto his desk, examining the writing on the small crystal bottle he'd selected from the self, pouring it into the basin when he was satisfied.

"This memory comes from a house elf, by the name of Hokey" Dumbledore told him, "Who worked for a very old, very rich witch by the name of Hepzibah Smith" Dumbledore gestured towards the Pensieve, "Shall we, Severus?"

Severus moved over to the desk, plunging his face into the swirling silver contents of the basin, the familiar sensation of falling until he landed in a sitting room.

In front of him, a hugely fat old lady, in an elaborate wig and bright pink robes was dabbing rouge on to her already pink cheeks, while a tiny old house elf laced her fat feet into tight satin slippers.

"Hurry up, Hokey! He said he'd come at four, it's only a couple of minutes to and he's never been late yet! How do I look?" Hepzibah asked as she put away her powder puff.

"Lovely, Madam" Hokey squeaked. Severus almost snorted. _Lovely indeed_. The elf was either lying or blind.

"Quick, quick, he's here, Hokey!" she cried as the doorbell tinkled. Hokey scurried out of the jam packed room. A few minutes later, Hokey returned, followed by a tall young man. Voldemort. He picked his way through the clutter with ease, he'd clearly visited before. Upon reaching Hepzibah, he bowed low, brushing his lips against her fat little hand.

"I brought you flowers" he said quietly, producing a bunch of flowers.

"You naughty boy, you shouldn't have!" she squealed happily, placing them in an awaiting vase. "You do spoil this old lady, Tom... sit down, sit down... Where's Hokey... ah..." she smiled as the house elf dashed back in with a tray of cakes.

"Help yourself, Tom. I know how you love my cakes. Now, how are you? You look pale. They overwork you at that shop, I've said it a hundred times..." Voldemort smiled, while she simpered pathetically. "Well, what's your excuse for visiting this time?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

"Mr Burke would like to make an improved offer for the goblin-made amour. Five hundred galleons, he feels it is more than fair -"

"Now, now, not so fast, or I'll think you're only here for my trinkets" she pouted.

"I am ordered her because of them. I am only a poor assistant, madam, who must do as he is told. Mr Burke wishes me to enquire -"

"Oh Mr Burke, phooey! I've something to show you that I've never shown Mr Burke! Can you keep a secret, Tom? Will you promise you won't tell Mr Burke I've got it? He'd never let me rest if he knew I'd shown it to you, and I'm not selling it, not to Burke, not to anyone! But you, Tom, you'll appreciate it for its history, not how many Galleons you can get for it..."

"I'd be glad to see anything Miss Hepzibah shows me" Voldemort said quietly, Hepzibah giggled like a school girl. Severus felt sick.

"I had Hokey bring it out for me... Hokey, where are you? I want to show Mr Riddle out _finest_ treasure... in fact, bring both, while you're at it"

"Here, madam" Hokey squeaked, making her way through the maze of tables, footstools and pouffes.

"Now" Hepzibah said happily, laying the boxes in her lap, "I think you'll like this, Tom... oh, if my family knew I was showing you... they can't wait to get their hands on this!" she opened the lid of the first box, inside was a small golden cup with two finely wrought handles. "I wonder whether you know what this is, Tom? Pick it up, have a good look!" Hepzibah whispered. Voldemort lifted the cup out of its silken wrappings with a long finger. A greedy expression on his face as he examined the cup, a flash of red in his eyes.

"A badger," he murmured "Then this was..."

"Helga Hufflepuff's, as you very well know, you clever boy!" she exclaimed, reaching forwards to pinch his cheek. "Didn't I tell you I was distantly descended? This has been handed down in the family for years and years. Lovely, isn't it? And all sorts of powers it's supposed to possess too, but I haven't tested them thoroughly, I just keep it nice and safe in here... " she said, taking the cup from Voldemort, settling it gently back in its box.

"Now then, where's Hokey? Oh yes, there you are, take that away now, Hokey -" she instructed, handing the box to the little elf. "I think you'll like this even more, Tom" she whispered. "Lean in a little , dear boy, so you can see... of course, Burke knows I've got this one, I bought it from him, and I daresay he'd love to get it back when I'm gone..." Hepzibah opened the box to reveal a heavy golden locket. The same locket Severus had seen in the Gaunt house. The same locket he'd see destroyed in the latest memory. Voldemort reached out for the locket, holding it up to the light, staring.

"Slytherin's mark" he said quietly.

"That's right!" Hepzibah squeaked happily, "I had to pay an arm and a leg for it, but I couldn't let it pass, not a real treasure like that, had to have it for my collection. Burke bought it, apparently, from a ragged looking woman, who seemed to have stolen it, but had no idea of its true value -" Severus noticed Voldemort's eyes flashed scarlet as she spoke, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the chain "- I daresay Burke paid her a pittance, but there you are... pretty, isn't it? And again, all kinds of powers attributed to it, though I just keep it nice and safe" Hepzibah reached out, sliding the chain out of Voldemort's grip, returning it safely to its box.

"So there you are, Tom, dear, and I hope you enjoyed that" her smile faltered as she finally looked him in the face. "Are you all right, dear?"

"Oh yes. Yes, I'm very well..." he answered quietly.

"I thought - but a trick of the light, I suppose -" she said, though looking unnerved "Here, Hokey, take these away and lock them up again... the usual enchantments"

"And this is where we leave, Severus" Dumbledore said, grasping him by the arm, pulling them both back to his office.

"What happened after that, Sir?" Severus asked.

"Two days later, Hepzibah Smith was murdered. Hokey was convicted of accidentally poisoning her cocoa"

"You and I both know the house elf didn't do it" Severus said.

"Quite. Voldemort murdered her, to gain access to the locket and the cup, and planted a false memory in Hokey's mind. And by the time her family realised both the cup and the locket were missing, Tom Riddle had unexpectedly resigned his post at Borgin and Burke's, and vanished, he wasn't seen again for a number of years"

"So that's how he got the locket, then. So where is it now? He obviously already has it" Severus stated.

"Yes, and that was not his first murder, he'd already hidden part of his soul elsewhere - the Diary, or the ring, or both by then. I'm sure you noticed the red eyes, he was becoming less human"

"Mmm. And it was only going to get worse, you saw his appearance in some of my memories. After his _return_ his features were hugely distorted"

"Quite. As his soul becomes more damaged, his outward appearance is reflecting that" _Disturbing thought. How many pieces was his soul torn into to look like that?_

"So, we know the locket is definitely hiding a piece of his soul. What about the cup? That went missing after the murder too, and he seemed quite taken with it" Severus reasoned.

"That is entirely possible. Riddle never liked leaving Hogwarts, he could have been interested in objects that provided a link to greater things"

"Founders objects?" Severus asked, that theory would make sense.

"Hufflepuff's cup, Slytherin's locket, the Gaunt ring was an heirloom of his pureblood family, his Diary from his time at Hogwarts" Dumbledore reasoned.

"So that's three definite items and one possible. Could he have used objects from the other Founders?"

"I guess that is something we have yet to discover" he said pleasantly. Severus nodded, but he couldn't help but feel like they were finally on the right track. "So, Severus, have you decided what to do at Easter?" Dumbledore asked, changing the subject.

"I'm going to go home with Lily. Her parents have said I'm welcome to stay there, and I'll be able to at least try and check on my mother" he told him.

"That sounds like a most reasonable plan"

"And it's all right, for me to go to the Evans?"

"You are of age now, Severus. If Mr and Mrs Evans are happy for you to stay, and you are happy to stay there, then all is well" the Headmaster assured him. Severus nodded, glad he was able to leave Hogwarts, to go home. "Is everything else ok, Severus?"

"Mmm? I think so. I mean, the Slytherin's haven't threatened anything since Rosier was expelled. But, I still think Potter is following us" he told him.

"Are you sure?"

"Not 100%, but when I was outside with Lily yesterday, we heard _something_ but couldn't see anything. Neither of us could shake the feeling we were being watched. If it had just been one of us feeling that way, I'd say it was paranoia after everything that's happened" he explained, though it did sound awfully like he was being paranoid as he said it aloud.

"I see. Have either Mr Potter or Mr Black done anything towards yourself?"

"Apart from name calling, not really. And I can handle that. I just don't like being followed"

"Nobody does, I can assure you. Do let me know, if this feeling continues, or if their behaviour escalates again" Dumbledore told him.

"Yes, Sir" Severus nodded, rising from his chair to leave the office, another meeting concluded. But potentially, another lead to follow, and he hoped the memories would come through to him, pointing them in the right direction.

...

"What's the matter, Prongs?" Remus asked his friend as they sat around their usual table in the Gryffindor common room. They were supposed to be working on their Transfiguration homework. Remus was making a valiant attempt, as was Sirius, but James was not. James was shifting uncomfortably in his seat, tapping his fingers, sighing and staring off into the fire. It was extremely distracting.

"Nothing" he sighed in exasperation.

"It's obviously not 'nothing'. Spit it out" Remus said to him.

"Look, I just keep thinking about Snape all right?" James snapped.

"And I thought it was Evans on your mind" Sirius snorted.

"Oh ha, ha, Padfoot. You know what I mean. Yesterday, I followed them for a bit" he said quietly.

"James, _why_ do you keep on after them?" Remus said frustratedly. If he kept going on like this they'd be taking him to St Mungo's.

"I know what you're going to say, Moony. I know I shouldn't do it, I'm not stupid!"

"That's debatable!" laughed Sirius.

"I just can't figure him out"

"You don't need to figure him out, just leave him be" Remus told him.

"He just seems so different to a year ago. I don't know if this is the real him, or if he's playing us all. If this is an act, someone is going to get hurt!" James said. Remus sighed.

"Look, that may be the case, but it's not our responsibility to find out. He's still meeting with Dumbledore regularly, isn't he?" Remus asked.

"Yes, and he went there yesterday" James told them.

"Oh?"

"I followed them outside, to try and hear what they talked about, but I couldn't hear anything they said, only buzzing"

"One of Snape's spells?" Remus asked.

"Probably. It must be important if they didn't want anyone to hear what they were discussing. Bit paranoid if you ask me" James muttered.

"This coming from the boy trying to overhear their conversation" Remus retorted. Sirius laughed.

"They knew someone was there, they heard me under the cloak"

"Oh?"

"Mmm. They went back inside then. The buzzing stopped, but they didn't talk after that"

"Why did you keep following them?" Remus asked.

"Well, erm. They were snogging, I thought he might have taken her to his room" James whispered, his cheeks reddening at his admission.

"And you were going to what? Defend her honour?" Remus asked him, rolling his eyes. "Send McGonagall after them again?"

"Bad luck, Prongs" Sirius laughed.

"But they went to Dumbledore, she went with him" James explained.

"So?"

"So, whatever is going on, she knows about it"

"She's already said she knows" Remus told him.

"Why do they need to keep going to Dumbledore though?" James asked quietly

"Maybe he has information about the other Slytherins. Maybe he's reporting back to Dumbledore" Remus suggested.

"But he's not even staying in Slytherin anymore. I think it's pretty obvious Dumbledore moved him out" James argued. That was true.

"I know you don't want to hear it, but I genuinely think he's changed. I think he's turned his back on the Death Eater's and they want to punish him - two of them have already been expelled - Mulciber because of the attack in Hogsmeade, and Rosier for using the Imperius on Lily. The other's seem afraid to move against him at the moment"

"So why don't they just kill him? Lily said Malfoy was there in Hogsmeade, if they want him out of their way, why not just kill him?" James asked.

"Maybe they still want him on their side. Maybe they think he has information" Remus reasoned.

"Because of his meetings with Dumbledore?" Sirius asked. Remus exhaled deeply, suddenly it felt like something had clicked into place.

"He has information to use, against You-Know-Who, doesn't he?" James whispered. "Just exactly how deep was he in with the Death Eater's?"

"Merlin knows" Remus sighed, "But at least he's sharing it with Dumbledore, right?" he reasoned. The other boys nodded.

"Still a scary thought though. You can't just walk away from the Death Eater's. You're effectively signing your own death sentence" Sirius told them.

"True. Why would anyone do that? They'd have to be very brave, or very stupid" James told them.

"Or in love" Remus suggested. "Whatever else you might think, they really do love each other. Maybe he finally realised how much danger she was going to be in" Remus was relieved to see James finally nod.

"Yeah. They do" James sighed. Remus looked at his friend cautiously. "You're right. Evan's is right. There's more going on with Snape than we realise, isn't there?" he said reluctantly. Remus nodded, maybe it was finally starting to sink in.

Remus turned his attention back to his homework, relieved that James was starting to come around, maybe he would back off and give Snape some space. Now they just had to convince Peter later, speaking of which...

"Where's Wormtail this evening?" Remus suddenly asked. The others shrugged.

"I don't know, he said he had a couple of things to do, but he wanted to go alone" Sirius told them. That was strange, he was always with either James or Sirius, though he had gone off alone a few times this year.

"Hmm. Maybe he'll show up in a bit" Remus said.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. Maybe he's got himself a girlfriend at long last" James sniggered. Sirius snorted. Trust them to be thinking about girls.

"Anything's possible" Sirius laughed.

"Yeah, Snape might be good, Wormtail might have a girlfriend" James said, rolling his eyes.

"And you don't" Sirius quipped, pointing a finger at his friend.

"You can talk" James snapped.

"Stranger things have happened" Remus interrupted. _Though not many_ \- his mind supplied.

"I'll have you know I've got my eye on a particularly lovely witch, thank you very much" Sirius snapped defensively.

"Of course you do" James teased, rolling his eyes.

"Enough of this girl talk, we've still got an essay to write" Remus instructed, "Hop to it, both of you"

"Yes, Sir" Sirius replied, saluting his friend. Remus rolled his eyes this time, as did James. But they all finally continued their homework. Though Remus found himself distracted. Not with thoughts of how to keep James and Sirius away from Snape, he finally seemed to have made some progress there. No, this time he couldn't help but wonder where Peter was. Meeting a girl was unlikely, he'd never shown any interest before, and certainly no girl had shown an interest in him. For some reason, he felt uneasy. And he had no idea why.

 **Recognisable parts of the chapter based on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - Lord Voldemort's Request.**


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"So, you're going to stay at Lily's again?" Mary asked him. He really wished she wouldn't try and engage him in conversation.

"I am" he stated, attempting not to scowl at the girl.

"Do you think you'll be subjected to her sister's boyfriend again?" Alice asked. Both girls laughed at the horrified expression on his face.

"Thanks. I'd almost forgotten about the walking walrus that is Vernon Dursley" he snapped, rolling his eyes. The girls giggled again. This was odd.

The compartment door slid open, Severus looked up, hoping to see Lily making her way to them. But no. Remus Bloody Lupin. _Why?_

"Hello all. What's going on in here then?" he asked, an amused expression on his face.

"Oh nothing. Just asking Snape about holiday plans" Mary giggled.

"I see. Anything interesting?" Lupin asked, turning his attention to Severus. Severus shrugged.

"As far as I'm aware, Lily and I have no set plans. Miss Prewett merely reminded me of someone Lily and I were unfortunate enough to meet during the Christmas holidays"

"That bad?" Lupin asked curiously.

"You have no idea" Severus said seriously. Lupin chuckled then.

"I'll just have to take your word for that. So you're staying at Lily's again?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm staying at Lily's again" he said frustratedly. Why was everyone so _bloody nosy?_

"I just expected..." he trailed off.

"Expected what?" Severus asked, frowning.

"I just thought you'd go home, that's all" Lupin shrugged innocently.

"Why? Because my father is dead?"

"Well, I... " Lupin started to flush. Severus sighed.

"Look, I never went home before because of my father. To say we didn't get on would be the understatement of the century, and I have no intentions of discussing _that_. Understood?" Severus said pointedly. Lupin nodded. "Clearly, my mother has some _issues,_ I cannot stay with her. Again, not something I wish to discuss" he told the Marauder. Lupin nodded again, staying silent. Nobody seemed to know what to say after that. Severus had certainly not planned to reveal quite so much about his parents as he had. Especially not to Lupin.

The compartment door slid open again. Lily. Finally.

"What's happened in here?" she asked, looking around the group of serious faces.

"Oh, nothing much" Severus told her. She didn't look convinced.

"My fault" Lupin stated. "I didn't mean any offense." Lily frowned at him. "It was all laughter when I got here" he added with a guilty expression.

"Oh?" Lily asked curiously.

"We asked about your sister's boyfriend" Alice said. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Oh God, we're going to have to see Dursley again, aren't we?" she sighed, plonking down heavily on the seat next to Severus, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Probably" he admitted. "What if he proposes to her?" he suddenly asked.

"Oh God, why would you even say that?" she asked, clearly horrified by that suggestion. Severus shrugged.

"It could happen. We'll probably never see them again, they won't associate with a couple of _freaks_ " he said.

"Freaks?" Lupin asked.

"Mmm. That's all we are to Petunia. So of course Vernon will think that too, and he doesn't even know we have magic yet" Lily explained.

"That could be quite the conversation" Lupin chuckled.

"Well, there is one good thing" Severus told her with a mischievous grin.

"What?" she asked.

"We can do magic outside school now. I could turn him into a slug" he grinned.

"You wouldn't?" she grinned back.

"You watch me" he teased. "First time he says anything, calls either of us a freak, or tells me I need a haircut, and I'm turning him into a fat slug. With a moustache." he stated. The girls giggled again. Lupin shook his head, chuckling.

"I'm sure Mum would love cleaning up after a giant slug, Sev" Lily giggled.

"Er, hello, magic" he reminded her.

"Do you know something?" Lupin suddenly asked.

"What?"

"You're not so different, to James and Sirius that is"

"That's not even remotely funny, Lupin" Severus stated. _How dare he?_

"No, wait. Look, I know they've been a bit, well -"

"They've been complete pains in the arse" Severus interrupted.

"Agreed. They can both be idiots. Well, what I mean is, on the outside you're total opposites"

"Yes"

"But when it comes to the people you care about, you'd do anything to protect them"

"Your point?"

"You're on the same side. Aren't you?" Lupin suggested. Severus didn't want to talk any more. "I think if you weren't so intent on hating each other, you'd probably get along"

"I've had five years of them following me around, spying on me, hexing me, sabotaging my work. Is it any wonder I don't want to be near them? I would rather they just ignored me"

"Well, until a year ago, you were behaving the same towards them. But you changed, didn't you?"

"Yes, I changed. I grew up. Have you given your friends the same little speech?"

"In part. They don't like to hear it though" he laughed. _I'll bet they don't._ "What made you change?" Lupin asked curiously.

"Remus, this is hardly the time" Lily interrupted.

"I told you, I grew up. I realised I was being an idiot. I realised what I would lose if I carried on the way I was" he said quietly. Lily squeezed his hand. "And that's all I'm going to say, Lupin" he added, leaning his head against the window, hoping he'd now be left alone. For some unknown reason, he'd opened himself up, opened up to someone other than Lily or Dumbledore.

"We'll be at King's Cross soon" Lupin said as headed back to the door. "Have a good holiday everyone" and with that, Lupin was gone. Severus sighed, slipping his arm around Lily's shoulder, pulling her close again. Alice and Mary began conversing quietly in the seats opposite, not attempting to pull either of them into joining. Severus closed his eyes as he leaned his head against Lily's, wishing they were truly alone. And worried about what he would find when he went to see his mother.

...

Lily lay on her front, on her bed, looking down at Severus. He was once again, in the camp bed in her room, and lay on his side looking up at her. By the time they'd got home and had something to eat, it was rather late. Too late to go and visit his mother, that would have to be done tomorrow. And she suspected he would go alone.

"It feels good to be home" she told him quietly, smiling down at him.

"That it does" he agreed.

"Are you ok?"

"Mmm. Just nervous, about going to see her" he admitted.

"I'm sure she'll be ok"

"Probably. Just want to know why she didn't reply to my letters"

"Did you tell her you were staying here?" she asked him.

"I did. Though obviously, given that I'm technically an adult now, she couldn't object"

"Would she?"

"I doubt it. She knows I wouldn't stay with her without her say so. I do need to know what's going on though"

"You deserve to know what's going on, Sev, she is your mother"

"Hmm. I guess I'll find out tomorrow" he said, laying down on his back.

"Do you want me to go with you?" she asked him, pretty sure she knew what his answer would be.

"I think it's safest I go alone. Since I don't know how she's going to be" he said sadly. Lily nodded.

"Well, we can do something afterwards" she suggested.

"I'm sure we'll think of something to do" he agreed, smiling up at her. "We should get some sleep, it's been a long day" he said gently. Lily nodded, climbing down out of her bed to kneel beside him on the floor, leaning over to kiss him gently, her hands resting on his chest. She felt one of his arms wrap around her waist, the other hand gently touching her cheek before slipping into her hair.

"That, is not sleeping, Lily" he grinned at her as she pulled away.

"So? I wanted a goodnight kiss" she grinned back.

"I'm not going to argue with that"

"Goodnight, Sev. I love you" she told him, placing a final quick kiss on his lips.

"I love you too" he whispered softly in return. Lily climbed into her own bed then, clicking off the lamp on her bedside table, wanting nothing more than to have Severus join her so she could sleep in his arms. It was wonderful having him here with her, but in some ways it was torture. He was right there, so near, yet so far. They were adults now, as Severus had just reminded her, and if they wanted to sleep in the same bed they should be able to do exactly that. Though she suspected her parents would not view it the same way. So, for now, separate beds it was.

...

Severus sat at the kitchen table, attempting to force himself to eat something. Anything. The only thing he seemed to manage was a bit of toast and tea. Lily was sat beside him, also seeming nervous, probably worrying about him, she was the only one who would, after all.

"What's wrong with you two?" Petunia snipped as she sipped her tea.

"Nothing" Lily answered.

"Had an argument? It's not like you two to be so quiet" she asked.

"No, no argument. Just thinking" Lily told her.

"Hmm" Petunia responded, still looking miserable.

"Maybe I should just go now" Severus said, sitting here under Petunia's scrutiny wasn't helping his nerves.

"Go? Go where?" Petunia asked. _Merlin was she nosy._

"I'm going to try and see my mother" he told her.

"Oh, right. I thought you'd be staying there. I mean, she _is_ your mother, that _is_ your home after all" Petunia told them pointedly. If only things were that simple.

"Yes, well seeing as I haven't heard from her since I returned to school, I didn't know if I was able to stay there" he snapped. Lily reached for his hand. Petunia didn't say anything after that, merely focused her attention on her tea. Severus stood then, eager to get away from Petunia, eager to get this over with so he could return to Lily. His home.

"I'll see you later, Lily. I'm not sure how long I'll be" he told her, leaning down to give her a quick peck on the lips, not caring what Petunia would say.

"I'll be here when you get back" she assured him. Severus quickly left the house then, heading over to his mother's. Not even sure if she would let him through the front door.

A few minutes later he was stood in front of his mother's house, taking a few deep breaths to prepare himself. He knocked firmly on the door - no going back now - and waited. He caught sight of a shadow moving through the net curtains, before the corner of the net twitched, his mothers face peeking out nervously before disappearing again. A few seconds later, the door opened and she was standing in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him quietly.

"I came to see you. May I come in?" he asked. His mother nodded, heading back into the house. Severus stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He followed her to the living room, where she'd already settled herself back down in an armchair. Severus sat on the sofa, keeping his eyes on her. She didn't look well, she was thinner than he ever remembered seeing her - and she'd never been a large woman. Her cheeks looked hollow, her eyes sunken, hidden in dark circles, hair hanging limply around her face.

"How are you, mother?" he asked cautiously. She glanced up at him, but didn't reply. "Mother?"

"Severus. Why are you here?" she asked him again.

"I told you. I came to see you" he said quietly.

"You should be at school"

"It's the holidays, mother. I'm staying at Lily's again, as I didn't know if I could come home" he said, not that he thought of this place as home.

"You should have stayed at Hogwarts" she told him. Severus sighed.

"I wanted to be with Lily, and her parents invited me to stay" he explained, trying to speak as calmly as possible. "Did you get my letters, mother?" Slowly, she nodded "So, you knew I was going to stay with the Evans" he told her. She went back to staring at a spot on the coffee table. "Why didn't you reply to my letters?"

"I didn't know what to say, Severus"

"You could have said anything, mother. I have been worried about you" he admitted.

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Many reasons. You're my mother, not used to being alone. A witch, in the Muggle world. I wasn't sure how you would cope"

"I do not go out much. I prefer to be left alone. It felt like I was being watched" she whispered.

"That may be my fault" he admitted.

"Oh?"

"I had mentioned to Dumbledore that I was worried. Perhaps he tried to have someone find out how you were when you didn't reply to my letters" he told her. She nodded slowly, frowning.

"You are still meeting with Dumbledore?" she asked. Typical, she couldn't leave that alone, could she?

"I am"

"And you won't tell me what is going on?" she asked.

"There isn't much to tell" he lied. "He's just there for guidance, that's all"

"But, the dreams, Severus"

"There was the one dream, about _him,_ which I wrote to you about" he said, lying again, not that he had any choice. "The weird dream I had in the summer was just that. A weird dream. There's nothing going on, nothing strange, no conspiracies" he told her. She didn't reply, only looked him over carefully, as if trying to decide whether he was telling her the truth or not.

"Very well" she eventually replied. He didn't think she did believe him, but hoped she would drop the subject.

"So, are you ok, mother?" he asked again.

"If I am left alone, I am ok" she told him flatly.

"Do you not want me here, mother?" he asked.

"I don't know what I want anymore, Severus" she admitted quietly.

"Do you need help, mother? Therapy?"

"I don't need therapy, Severus" she snapped at him.

"Clearly you're not well. Whatever you say"

"I will be fine. I just need time, and space to properly grieve my husband" she told him. Severus sighed. How anyone could grieve for him was beyond his comprehension.

"In that case, perhaps it is better I leave you to grieve then" he said sadly.

"Will you come back? Before you go back to school?"

"If you wish" he said. She nodded slowly. "Very well. Goodbye, mother" he told her, quickly heading for the door to escape the miserable house that had somehow managed to become even more depressing in the few months it had been since he last set foot in the door.

Severus practically ran through the streets back to the Evans house, eager to see the only person that mattered. He needed to get home as soon as possible. The place, the person his heart called home. Lily


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Lily and Severus sat facing each other on her bed. Cross legged and playing cards. A Muggle game, rather than exploding snap. Lily didn't think her mother would appreciate a card game that had the potential to set fire to her bedspread.

"I can't believe a week has gone already" she told him as she looked at her cards.

"I know. It seems to go so fast when we're here" he agreed. It really did go quick, time she spent with Severus seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

"Are you going to see your Mum again tomorrow?" she asked him quietly. Severus frowned.

"Possibly. If she opens the door this time" he sighed. Lily smiled sadly. It really wasn't fair, she'd spoken to him briefly when they returned home, but the next time he tried to visit, she wouldn't even answer the door. She really did want to be left completely and utterly alone.

"I hope so, Sev" she told him. Their game continued quietly for a few minutes before they heard the front door, Lily could hear Petunia calling excitedly for 'Mummy and Daddy' - boy that annoyed her, she was nineteen for heaven's sake! The voices moved into the living room, Lily couldn't hear what was said then as the voices became muffled through the walls.

"Why do I get the feeling something's going on?" she asked Severus nervously. He met her eyes cautiously. They both stared at the bedroom door as the heard footsteps coming up the stairs. A soft knock, and the door was pushed open, her mother's face peeked around the door before she stepped completely into the room.

"Could you two join us downstairs, please? There's something we need to discuss, as a family" her mother asked them, a nervous smile on her face. Severus nodded.

"Of course, we'll be right down" Lily assured her. Her mother nodded before hastily retreating from the room.

"Shall we get this over with?" Severus asked her.

"Mmm" she mumbled, getting up from the bed and heading for the door, Severus quickly behind her. Lily reached for his hand, they needed to face this together. Whatever it was.

In the living room, they found Vernon Dursley, glass of champagne in hand. Petunia clinging on to his other arm, looking excited and very smug. Her parents stood opposite, each holding a glass of champagne, with polite - if forced, smiles. Petunia's smug grin faltered as she saw Lily and Severus had joined them.

"Oh. You two are here" she sniffed at them.

"Yes, we're here. So, what do we need to talk about?" she asked as calmly as she could.

"Well, dear sweet, Vernon, here, has asked me to marry him! Isn't it wonderful?" she giggled. Lily felt sick.

"Oh, yes. Wonderful" Lily agreed politely. "I take it you said 'yes', then?"

"Of course I said yes!" Petunia snapped, waving a hideously ringed finger in her direction.

"Well, congratulations then, Petunia, Vernon" she said quietly. Petunia continued to smirk, Vernon looked disapprovingly at both of them. "I think we'll head back upstairs then" she added quietly.

"Well actually, Lily. There's something else we need to talk about first" her mother said nervously.

"Like what?" Lily asked cautiously.

"Well, there's something Vernon needs to know if he's going to become part of the family" her father added.

"About you and Severus" her mother finished. Lily was shaking her head, as was Severus. Surely they weren't going to tell him _that_? Not now.

"No, absolutely not!" Petunia protested, glaring at Lily.

"What? What do I need to know?" Vernon asked, frowning and looking more suspicious than ever before.

"Well, Lily and Severus _do_ go to a special school, but..."

"No, mother, you can't tell him!" Petunia interrupted.

"Oh, are they criminals after all?" Vernon asked, casting a particularly disgusted look at Severus.

"We're not criminals!" Severus snapped.

"They're not criminals, Vernon, dear" Petunia tried to assure him. "They're _freaks!_ " she spat out spitefully.

"Petunia!" her father warned.

"We're not freaks" Lily said defensively.

"We go to a school, for those who have a special gift. Magic" Severus stated.

"Magic?" Vernon laughed. "Pulling rabbits out of hats? Training for the circus?" he chuckled, clearly believing this to be a joke.

"No. Actual magic" Lily told him. "I'm a witch, and Severus is a wizard" she said calmly. Vernon laughed nervously.

"Don't be absurd. You're clearly delusional, some psychotic fantasy" he told them.

"Vernon, it's real" Petunia whispered quietly.

"Magic? A witch? A wizard? Ridiculous!" he spat out.

"Would you care for a demonstration?" Severus asked the nervous man.

"Oh, nice try, Snape" Petunia cut in. "You know you can't do magic away from that freak school of yours" she told them, looking more than a little relieved.

"Well actually, Petunia, we can now" Severus smirked.

"What?" she asked nervously.

"Well, in our world, the magical world, we come of age at seventeen - which we both are" Lily told her.

"So?"

"Only children aren't allowed to do magic away from school. We're not children anymore, the ministry isn't monitoring us" Severus explained carefully.

"I still don't believe you, I've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life!" Vernon spluttered, "You weren't kidding, Petunia, when you said there was something wrong with them!"

"There's nothing wrong with us!" Lily protested.

"I'll be right back" Severus said, leaving the room quickly, Vernon and Petunia eyeing her suspiciously. A minute later, Severus was back, handing her wand to her, keeping hold of his own.

"What are those?" Vernon asked nervously.

"These are our wands. They help us perform magic" Lily answered.

"You're not going to _do_ magic, are you?" Petunia asked, her face paling.

"Only something little, to show you it's real" Severus said.

"Knowing you, you'll turn me into a frog or something" Petunia said.

"Tempting. But no" Severus replied.

"W-What then?" Petunia stuttered. Lily glanced at Severus and shrugged.

"Oh, I don't know. How about some flowers?" he suggested _"Orchideous"_ he said, twirling his wand, conjuring a beautiful bouquet of roses. "For you, Lily" he said with a smile, handing the flowers to her.

"That's just a trick, most magicians pull flowers out of their fake wands" Vernon protested.

"Did you see me pull them out of my wand? No. I conjured them" Severus stated simply.

"Ok, well how about a little transfiguration then?" Lily suggested, moving to the empty glass on the shelf, tapping it lightly, transforming it into a beautiful vase to stand the flowers in. "And of course, flowers need a little water. _Aguamenti._ " she muttered, producing water for the conjured flowers. Lily stared at her sister and disbelieving fiancé.

"It's just a trick. Nothing more. There's no such thing as magic!" he shouted.

"Vernon, please" Petunia muttered.

"I know it seems impossible, but magic is real" Lily's mother said gently.

"What about you, Petunia? You're not a freak like them, are you?" he snapped.

"Of course not, I'm perfectly normal, thank you very much!" she snapped back defensively.

"We're perfectly normal, too. Just different" Lily stated.

"Exactly" her mother added.

"You can't tell anyone about this" Severus said to him. "There's a Statute of Secrecy. You're being told because you want to be a part of Petunia's family"

" _You're_ not part of Petunia's family!" Vernon shouted.

"Perhaps not yet" Severus answered, "But even taking me out of the equation, Lily _is_ part of Petunia's family, and she is a witch. You would still be told about magic regardless." he said calmly. Lily was so proud of his reaction to Vernon, somehow managing to remain calm, explaining it all rationally.

"Well, don't you worry, I won't be mentioning this to anyone, they'd think I was loopy. They'd lock me up! You're either making it up and are a couple of lunatics on release from the asylum. Or you're more _abnormal_ than I first thought" he said disgustedly.

"Well that's just charming" Lily said sarcastically.

"I think that's enough for one night" Lily's mother said. Lily nodded, reaching for Severus' hand.

"Come on, Sev" she said, pulling him out of the room, back upstairs to hide away. Whatever happened between Vernon and Petunia was nothing to do with them.

"Well that went well" Severus said as they got back in the room, shutting the door tightly behind them, not wanting to overhear anything that was said about them now.

"Did you know that was going to happen?" she asked him suddenly.

"What? No, no idea" he answered, sitting down on her bed.

"On the train, you said..."

"I was only joking. I don't know _everything_ that's going to happen" he snapped. Lily sighed, moving to sit beside him on the bed.

"I didn't think you knew _everything_ " she said quietly.

"If I'd known, I would have given you warning, trust me" he said quietly. "I don't think he should have been told, not just yet" he added.

"No. I think he's going to struggle to accept it"

"Mmm" he mumbled, putting his arm around her.

"Do you know what though? If he's normal, I think I'd rather be a freak" she laughed.

"If anything, Lily, they're the freaks" he snorted. Lily nodded. Though, did it really matter who was normal? What even was _normal_ anyway? She and Severus were what they were. And Vernon and Petunia were themselves. Different.

"Vernon's wrong, you know, about you" she said.

"Hmm?"

"You _are_ family, Sev" she told him, smiling at him. He smiled too then, leaning in to kiss her gently.

"Lily, you are the only family I truly have" he whispered quietly. "And, the only family I need" he added. Lily grinned broadly at his words, the caring expression on his face, his eyes warm and so full of love. All for her. Yes, he was definitely different to other boys, he knew he'd be with her forever, and he let that show through to her in every look he gave her. Lily knew he was all she wanted, all she needed to be content in her life. And she did the only thing she could think of doing in that moment, wrap her arms around him, and kiss him again.

...

"So, Albus, are you any closer in your investigations with Severus?" Horace asked jovially, helping himself to tea and biscuits in the Headmaster's office. "Everything going well with him?"

"Actually, things are very interesting, Horace" Albus told him.

"Oh? Still having these dreams, is he?" he asked curiously.

"He is. And we are correct in our assumptions. Voldemort has made Horcruxes"

"Yes, well, you said he'd made multiple ones, didn't you?" Horace said quietly, averting his eyes carefully. Albus sighed.

"We have confirmed there are three, and potentially a fourth"

" _Four_ Horcruxes? Is that all of them, Albus?"

"I do not know. Until we have further information we cannot confirm it" he told him.

"Yes, well..." he trailed off.

"Horace. Severus cannot do this alone. _I_ cannot do this alone"

"No, well, quite. Severus is far too young to have such things on his shoulders"

"But he has not shied away from it. Until he came to me last year I was almost certain he was another destined to fall into Voldemort's clutches" Albus admitted quietly.

"I too feared the same. His expanding circle of _friends_ was... disturbing"

"But receiving this information has truly shown where his loyalties lie. He abandoned his housemates immediately, started defending himself against James Potter and Sirius Black instead of actively attacking them in response. He is much stronger now, able to stand alone if necessary, rather than seek the approval of his peers"

"But he shouldn't _have_ to stand alone, though. It's hardly fair"

"No, it isn't fair. If not for Miss Evans he would be completely alone. But he is more than determined to fight in this War, Horace"

"But he's still so young, Albus"

"He's made it clear he wishes to be involved. The memories are coming to him for a reason. He wishes to use them for the right reasons - to remove Voldemort's power. I do worry though, it's only a matter of time before Voldemort sends some of his Death Eater's for another _discussion_. They have correctly assumed he has information I can use against them, though they have no idea what that is. And I truly believe the only ones who know about the Horcruxes are us two, and Severus. Voldemort must not know that we are aware"

"Should he have left the school then? Surely he is safer here than in the Muggle world" Horace asked.

"He has returned home with Miss Evans. He wishes to check on his mother in person"

"Oh?"

"He has not heard from her since his father passed away. She hadn't replied to his letters. I tried to discover something covertly, but she is not a woman who often ventures outside her house. And she no longer uses any kind of magic. Do you remember Severus' mother, Horace?"

"Oh, um, she was in my house, I believe"

"Yes. Eileen Prince was indeed a Slytherin, as were the majority of the Prince's before her. She was very quiet, reclusive as a student. Much like Severus" Albus pondered. Horace nodded slowly.

"Do you think he should be worried?"

"I'm not entirely sure" he admitted, "I don't think she's ever contacted him at school before. I think Severus was hoping that would change"

"Hmm, poor boy" Horace said sadly. "You don't think You-Know-Who would attempt to contact her, do you?"

"It is possible. They could try and use her to blackmail Severus into revealing what information he has" Albus theorised. That could be a problem.

"She needs protection then, just in case"

"I think observation should be our first step, Horace. If we put magical protections around her house, Voldemort is going to want to know _why_ and will assume there is more to it" he explained. He didn't want to draw attention to her. Voldemort may not even know where Severus' mother lived, or even be aware of her existence. A Muggle house suddenly being magically protected would be like sending up a flare, drawing attention there.

"What we really need, is to find and destroy the Horcruxes he has made"

"So, the three confirmed, do you know where they are? How you're going to get them?" Horace asked worriedly.

"We know where one of them is, but I'm no closer to having a plan to retrieve it unfortunately" Albus admitted sadly.

"Oh? That bad?"

"Malfoy Manor"

"Ah. That would be a bit tricky then"

"The others, I have a few ideas of places to look, I believe I know one of the hiding places, but I need someone with me to retrieve it"

"I see. Who are you planning to take?" he asked, looking increasingly nervous.

"Severus"

"Really, Albus?"

"Yes, really. It would be good for him. Help him understand more about this War"

"Hmm. And no idea about the third?"

"Unfortunately no. Unless Severus receives any other memories regarding its hiding place, or someone knows something. I will keep investigating, though I won't be able to do much until the summer" Horace nodded slowly.

""And you think there will be more to look for, apart from these?"

"I believe so, but without knowing what Tom Riddle asked, what his intentions were all those years ago, it is going to be difficult" Albus told him sadly, still hoping Horace would relent and reveal the true conversation.

"Do you honestly think that conversation is that important?" Horace asked dubiously.

"Yes. Absolutely. Please, just think about it, Horace. For Severus' sake. He is determined in this, and he needs all the information before he can go in. If we miss a Horcrux, then Voldemort would be able to return. If he returned knowing we were aware of his experiments, he would surely attempt to create more - though in all honesty I'm not sure how much more mangling his soul could take. In any case, it is too dangerous to risk"

"Indeed. Very dangerous. He is rather... insane, isn't he?"

"Just a tad, Horace" Albus smiled.

"Yes, well. If that's all, Albus, I think I'll call it a night" Horace said to the Headmaster, standing and making his way to the door, "Goodnight, Albus"

"Goodnight, Horace" Albus replied, watching as the Slytherin head of House swiftly left the office, no doubt to ponder the conversation they'd had. Whether Horace would ever reveal what Tom Riddle had discussed all those years ago remained to be seen. But Albus felt more hopeful after that discussion, perhaps Horace would reveal it to help Severus, if not himself. Time again, to be patient.

 **A/N - once again, massive thanks to everyone who is following the story, and those of you leaving comments, I still get so nervous every time I upload a new chapter. I am busy working away on the story (between school runs for my 7 and 3 year old boys!), I find the only way I can write is by hand with pen and paper so everything takes a while, so far am working on chapter 58 in rough (which is just passed the half way stage, so still a whole lot of story to go. I do have a definite plan for the whole thing and hope that it is something you'll all enjoy).**


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

The first couple of weeks back to school had passed more peacefully than either Lily or Severus could have imagined. The Slytherins had kept their distance - having their two main ringleaders expelled in the space of six months had really shaken their confidence. They wanted Severus on their side, and they had no idea how to achieve that - blackmail, attempting to frame him, torture, attacks on both himself and Lily - all had failed. Severus knew there was absolutely nothing they could do to convince him to join them. He just hoped they knew that and would leave him alone.

More strangely to Severus though, was Potter's attitude upon returning. Oh, he still looked at him with distrust, but the name calling had pretty much stopped. And he wasn't following him. It was... unsettling. Severus kept eyeing Potter and Black suspiciously, frowning as he tried to figure out what they were up to, but all he got in return was a curt nod, and perhaps a suspicious glance in return. And Lupin, well, he was positively _friendly_ towards him. He didn't know which was worse. He wished he'd kept his damn mouth shut on the train, that's for sure. No doubt Potter and Black had been informed of their little chat.

Severus walked with Lily, hand in hand as they usually were, making their way to the Charms classroom, moving to take their usual seats near the front. Students all piling into the room now, the noise rising as they all chattered endlessly.

"I got an owl from Mum this morning" Lily said to him.

"Oh? Anything interesting?" he asked her.

"Well, depends what you mean by _interesting_ " she replied with a sigh.

"What's the matter?"

"Petunia" she answered sadly.

"Did she write too?"

"No, she'd never write to me. No, she's still mad about us telling Vernon about magic"

"Let me guess, it's my fault, right?" of course it would be in Petunia's tiny little brain.

"Mmm. Which is utterly ridiculous. You didn't make me a witch" she protested on his behalf. Severus smiled, unable to help himself.

"If I could turn people into witches and wizards, I'd be a rich man" he laughed.

"Mmm" she agreed, suppressing a smile of her own. "Apparently Vernon still wants to marry her"

"So, what's her problem, then?" he asked, surely that was the only thing that mattered to Petunia, marrying her successful mountain of blubber.

"Well, I don't know if I'm going to be allowed to go"

"To your sister's wedding?"

"Mmm. She's worried, that we're going to 'cause a scene' in front of Vernon's family" she whispered.

"Well, that could be arranged" he smirked.

"Sev!" she admonished, but the smile gave her away.

"Seriously though, Lily, when have either of us ever 'caused a scene'?" he asked her.

"Never. But now she knows we're allowed to do magic, she doesn't trust that we won't. She thinks we can't control ourselves" she told him.

"Yes, well, we're both so out of control, aren't we?" he teased. _Ridiculous_. "So, have they set a date yet?" he asked her, wondering how long they had to prepare themselves, even if they weren't allowed to go, not that he cared either way. But Lily cared.

"No, I don't think it will be until at least next summer. Petunia wants a big, fancy wedding. A _proper_ wedding" she told him.

"A _normal_ wedding" he added.

"Exactly. Petunia Evans must be _normal_ " she agreed, smiling sadly.

"What about you?" he suddenly asked.

"What?" she answered, looking confused.

"What kind of wedding do you want?" he elaborated, not exactly sure what prompted the question. She smiled at him then.

"Honestly, I don't think the wedding matters all that much" she said. Severus frowned. _Did she not want to get married at all? Didn't all girls dream about getting married?_ "What I mean is, big, small, fancy, simple. That part doesn't matter, does it? Who you're marrying _, that's_ the bit that matters" she smiled warmly, squeezing his fingers as they sat at their desk. Severus felt his heart flutter, just a little bit.

"Mmm, absolutely" he replied, trying and failing to conceal a grin. Her smile became even brighter in response to his. Somehow, she knew exactly what he was thinking about, he could see it in her eyes. _How on earth did she do that? How could she know him so well?_

Severus cleared his throat, suddenly feeling hot under her gaze, looking away from her sparkling eyes. Not that he wanted to, he could lose himself staring into those glittering orbs.

"I got a letter from my Mother" he told her, moving them onto a safer subject.

"Oh, that's great, Sev" she answered sincerely.

"Looks like I'll be able to go home for the summer" he explained.

"Oh" she said, sounding more than a little disappointed.

"I can't keep imposing on you and your parents, Lily. And being completely honest, I much prefer staying with you than at my own house. But, I'm not your parents responsibility" he explained gently. Which was the truth, he loved sharing a house and room with her, but he couldn't keep putting upon the Evans like that. They were lovely people and he couldn't help but feel he was taking advantage of their kindness. They'd treated him more like a son than his own parents did.

"You're not an imposition, Sev. They care about you. You're part of the family" she protested. He knew she liked having him there as much as he liked being there.

"And I appreciate that. But I still _should_ be with my mother. Maybe, I could still stay over at your house occasionally, if your parents allow it" he suggested, really hoping they would still be able to stay together some nights, if not every night. Lily smiled again then, relieved at his suggestion.

"I'm sure they'd allow that, Sev" she told him "Did your Mum have anything else to say?"

"Not really. Just that she's trying to get out of the house. But, I'm worried. The money she received won't last forever, she needs to get a job, but I've no idea how she's going to manage that. I think she needs some kind of therapy, but she doesn't want to hear that" he told her. Lily nodded.

"Good morning class!" Professor Flitwick squeaked as he climbed on to the desk at the front. Severus immediately let go of Lily's hand, time to get to work now, pay attention to the morning's lesson.

"Good! Excellent!" Flitwick began as everyone turned their attention to the professor. "Now, today we're going to be doing something a little more _fun_ than we usually do. We're going to be performing some colour switching charms" he told them excitedly. Chatters and murmurs of interest broke out through the classroom. Severus sighed inwardly, he'd much rather be doing something useful, than something _fun_. Potter and Black had their heads together, whispering animatedly. No doubt a prank would be coming sooner or later. Severus sighed again, turning his attention back to Professor Flitwick.

...

"Come on, Moony! One little prank, that's all I'm asking" James pleaded with his friend.

"Look, you and Padfoot can do it, you don't need me for this, you know" Remus told him, though he didn't sound too upset.

"Yeah, come on, Moony, it'll be more fun if we all do it together" Sirius joined in.

"Yeah, Moony" Peter added. Maybe if they stuck together, they could convince Remus to join them. Remus sighed, maybe he was giving in.

"James, like I said, you can do it without me. I'm a Prefect for Heaven's sake, I'm supposed to stop you doing anything stupid"

"Yeah, but this will be fun" James grinned at his friend, "It's not harmful in the slightest. Can't you just think of it as practising what we learned in Charms today?" he suggested. That might work, _study, practice._ It was all about the work _really_.

"Who do you want to prank then?" Remus asked him reluctantly.

"Slytherin" James grinned.

"As in _all_ of Slytherin?" Remus asked.

"Well obviously, that's why we need you" Sirius said, slapping his friend on the back. Remus sighed again.

"You do know they'll go nuts, don't you?" Remus asked them.

"Well, if they were paying attention in class today, they'll be able to fix it" Sirius grinned.

"Only our year have had today's lesson. What about the younger ones?" Remus protested.

"Well, between the sixth and seventh years, they should be able to get everything straightened out" James reasoned. "Come on!"

"Even your brother?" Remus asked Sirius.

"Obviously. He's a little shit. Going straight down the path to You-Know-Who anyway" Sirius spat out miserably. His brother was still a sore point, and it had only got worse since Sirius had moved out of his family's home.

"And Snape?" Remus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, 'and Snape'. Why wouldn't we get him too?" James asked.

"Well, you're supposed to be leaving him alone"

"Yeah, but it's Snivellus, he should get something worse" Peter sniggered. James eyed Peter suspiciously, he thought that might be going a _bit_ far, Snape hadn't done anything to them for ages. He barely even acknowledged their existence.

"We should definitely get Snape, Remus. If we got all the Slytherin's but him, then won't Avery and the other buffoons assume he's got something to do with it?" James reasoned. They couldn't get all but Snape, that would look too suspicious. And whatever else had happened in the past, James didn't want to set a bunch of blood thirsty hooligans on him. They would do a lot worse than _prank_ in response, especially if they thought Snape was responsible.

"Fine, we'll get Snape too" Remus finally relented, James nodded happily.

"Awesome, Moony. It's going to be fun, you'll see" he assured his friend. Though, Remus looked far from convinced.

...

Lily and Severus strolled leisurely into the Great Hall. Time for a quick lunch before the afternoons classes. Fortunately, it was their favourite Potions this afternoon. She knew Severus could do with something more interesting than the _fun_ class they'd had this morning. True, it had been fun, but with a War weighing so heavily on his mind, he found it much harder to accept those kinds of lessons. He wanted _useful_ , something, anything, that would help him fight Voldemort. And being able to change the colour of something wasn't useful in a fight. It was little more than a party trick.

"I'll see you in a few minutes" she told him as they reached the Gryffindor table. Severus nodded, leaning in to press a quick kiss to his lips before he made his way to the Slytherin table. The Hall was busy, more or less every student was now inside, all eagerly eating what they could before more lessons. It was a lovely late spring day and she suspected some would want to get outside for a while before being confined to the classroom again. If they didn't have Potions, they'd probably be heading outside themselves.

Lily glanced over at the Slytherin table, Severus was sat by himself, keeping a healthy distance between himself and anyone else from his House. Feeling sad that apart from her, he was alone. It wasn't fair, there should be someone he could talk to. The only ones that ever tried to talk to him were some of her friends, and she suspected that did little, apart from make him feel awkward. Or there were Remus' attempts at conversation. And that just seemed to annoy him. Maybe he just had too much going on in his mind to think about making friends with anyone else.

Lily turned her attention to the food on the table, not really bothered what she ate, reaching for the nearest plate of sandwiches.

"Everything ok, Lily?" Mary asked, sitting beside her on the bench.

"Yeah, everything's fine" she replied, giving her friend a smile.

"You sure? You seem, far away"

"Yes, I'm sure. Just thinking"

"Oh? What about?"

"Not much, this and that. This morning's lesson" she answered. Well, it was partly true.

"Made a change to do something _fun_ " Mary smiled.

"Mmm, fun" she said quietly, taking a bite of the sandwich she'd grabbed.

"You didn't like it?" she asked.

"It was fine" Lily shrugged. Mary giggled suddenly. "What?" she asked, looking at her smiling friend.

"Um, I think someone enjoyed today's lesson" Mary smirked.

"What?" Lily asked, following the direction of her gaze. To the Slytherin table. "Oh, Merlin" Lily muttered, trying not to giggle too. All the Slytherins were sporting red hair, with bits of gold here and there.

"I wonder who could have done that?" Mary asked.

"I'll give you one guess" Lily laughed. Potter. Who else?

"They don't seem to have noticed yet, too busy stuffing their faces. Or reading" Mary added, pointing towards Severus.

"Regulus! I always knew you were secretly a Gryffindor supporter!" Sirius Black's voice boomed out across the Hall. The younger Black looked confused, before one of his House mates pointed at his hair.

"What did you do, you jackass?" he called back over at his brother.

"I didn't do a thing. I just thought the Slytherins were showing a little respect for once" the older Black barked back. She noticed Severus walking away from the table, Lily stood too, hoping to catch up with him.

"Like you lot deserve any respect!" the younger Black shouted. The Slytherins all started attempting to fix each other's hair, some having more success than others.

Lily met Severus in between tables, he did not look amused. Lily tried not to laugh. Red really wasn't his colour.

"Which idiots are responsible for this?" he whispered harshly, brow furrowed. Lily bit her lip.

"Well, I could take a guess" she told him.

"Nice hair, Snape. They say couples start to look alike after a while" Potter grinned. Severus rolled his eyes, Lily covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her amusement.

"This isn't funny, Lily" Severus whispered.

"I never said it was" she protested.

"Your eyes tell a different story" he said, though his face softened a little.

"You're right, I'm sorry"

"I know this is your doing, Potter" he spat at the boy.

"Hey, hey, it's harmless, don't get your knickers in a twist. Besides, Lily can fix it, right?" Potter said

"Of course" Lily nodded, aiming her wand and concentrating carefully to turn his red hair back to its usual glossy black. "There, all done" she informed him. Severus ran his hand through it, glancing at the now black strands.

"Thank you" he said quietly, "Much better"

"Black is definitely your colour" she informed him with a smile.

"Mmm" he agreed, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. Surely he found it a _little_ amusing. "I think I prefer the red hair on you" he added, reaching out to tuck a strand behind her ear. Lily grinned, he really was sweet at times.

"Come on, let's go to Potions" she suggested. Severus nodded, reaching for her hand before they left the Hall together.

...

 _Severus sat, still and silent in Dumbledore's office. The old Headmaster paced around him as he spoke._

 _"Harry must not know, not until the last moment, not until it is necessary, otherwise how could he have the strength to do what must be done?"_

 _"But what must he do?" Severus asked, frowning in confusion._

 _"That is between Harry and me. Now, listen closely, Severus. There will come a time - after my death - do not argue, do not interrupt! There will come a time when Lord Voldemort will seem to fear for the life of his snake" Dumbledore explained._

 _"For Nagini?" Severus asked in astonishment._

 _"Precisely. If there comes a time when Lord Voldemort stops sending that snake forth to do his bidding, but keeps it safe beside him, under magical protection, then, I think, it will be safe to tell Harry"_

 _"Tell him what?" The Headmaster took a deep breath, closing his eyes before continuing._

 _"Tell him that on the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, when Lily cast her own life between them as a shield, the Killing Curse rebounded upon Lord Voldemort, and a fragment of Voldemort's soul was blasted apart from the whole, and latched itself on to the only living soul left in that collapsing building. Part of Lord Voldemort lives inside Harry, and it is that which gives him the power of speech with snakes, and a connection with Lord Voldemort's mind that he has never understood. And while that fragment of soul, unmissed by Voldemort, remains attached to, and protected by Harry, Lord Voldemort cannot die"_

 _"So the boy... the boy must die?" Severus asked, calm on the outside, but underneath, his emotions were starting to boil._

 _"And Voldemort himself must do it, Severus. That is essential"_

 _"I thought... all these years... that we were protecting him for her. For Lily" he finally said. They couldn't let the boy die. He couldn't fail Lily that way._

 _"We have protected him because it has been essential to teach him, to raise him, to let him try his strength. Meanwhile, the connection between them grows ever stronger, a parasitic growth: sometimes I have thought he suspects it himself. If I know him, he will have arranged matters so that when he does set out to meet his death, it will, truly, mean the end of Voldemort" Albus finally opened his eyes, meeting the horrified expression on Severus' face._

 _"You have kept him alive so that he can die at the right moment?" Severus whispered in shock._

 _"Don't be shocked, Severus. How many men and women have you watched die?"_

 _"Lately, only those who I couldn't save" he said as he stood from his chair "You have used me"_

 _"Meaning"_

 _"I have spied for you, and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to keep Lily Potter's son safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter -"_

 _"But this is touching, Severus" Albus interrupted, "Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?"_

 _"For_ him? _Expecto Patronum" the silver doe burst from the tip of his wand, the two of them watched as she bounded across the office, before flying gracefully out of the window. Albus turned to him as the silvery glow faded._

 _"After all this time?" he asked._

 _"Always" Severus answered. He knew Albus would never understand. He'd loved her from the moment he set eyes on her, those feelings had never changed, never wavered. Not once. His whole life had been in service to her memory. Her death, a result of one of his many stupid teenage mistakes. He didn't care if he died as a result of his spying, if he was ever found out. He only wanted to keep the boy alive, for her, as she wasn't here to look after him herself. Now, he knew he was doomed to fail her again. He couldn't keep the boy safe for Lily._

 **A/N - Dream section taken from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - The Prince's Tale.**


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

"Why would you ask me to do such a thing?" Severus asked, sat in his usual seat, staring at the floor.

"It was logical for me to do so, Severus. You have seen as much as I have, but you also have the emotional insight behind the memories" he said gently.

"I'm not a murderer!" Severus snapped, staring at the old Headmaster straight in the eyes.

"In this life, no. You are not a murderer. But these memories come from a time when you _were_ a Death Eater. You cannot become one without killing, Severus" Dumbledore explained.

"I'm not a killer" Severus said quietly, shaking his head. He wasn't. He _couldn't_ be.

" _That_ Severus was a spy. It was obviously necessary, for him to be in the position he needed to be in"

"It's not going to happen this time" Severus whispered.

"I should hope not. I have no desire to depart this mortal coil any time soon" Dumbledore smiled "I have no intention of asking you to be a part of such a thing, Severus"

"It's just hard, to think that there's some version of me that would do it, something like that" he admitted. It was hard, seeing a version of himself that had allowed the darkness to consume him, even if he fought his way out to an extent, he was still capable of killing.

"Severus, in those memories, I was already close to death - I had only been saved from the rings curse thanks to your counterparts intervention"

"Yes, but in the same conversation you asked me to murder you!" Severus interrupted.

"Quite. But it put you where you needed to be to end the War"

"Did it though?" Severus asked.

"I would assume so"

"But the Potter boy? I spent my life as a spy to protect him. And you _knew_ I would fail" Severus whispered. That was something else that hurt, the memories came from a man who had trusted Dumbledore without question, had followed his orders, whatever they may be. And Dumbledore had lied to him. Had kept information from him. Why? Lack of trust? Did that Dumbledore believe he would turn his back on the Light after Lily died? Because he couldn't protect her legacy? Would _this_ Dumbledore do the same?

"The _other_ me, Severus. I do not know why he kept information from you. It wasn't fair" he told him.

"And what about you?" Severus asked. "Would _you_ keep information from me?"

"Perhaps. If it were absolutely necessary" Dumbledore sighed "We need to trust one another. That is vital if we are to win this War" he told him. Severus looked at the Headmaster carefully. He didn't know what to believe anymore. Just when he thought he knew what was what, something changed. Dumbledore _would_ keep information from him, if he thought that was in his best interests. Severus would have to try and accept that. He had to make the decision to trust him completely, or not at all. And he didn't know what to do.

"You will be coming with me to retrieve the ring, Severus. I trust you will be of assistance" Dumbledore told him carefully.

"I'm not letting you put that damn thing on if that's what you mean" Severus snapped. Dumbledore looked amused.

"Very good. Now, back to the memory. A couple more things mentioned, hiding places"

"Yes, but I don't think we need to worry about finding those pieces, do we?" Severus asked.

"Lord Voldemort does not yet have a snake, that I am aware of at least. Perhaps a pet he is yet to acquire, as a Parselmouth he has always been drawn to snakes - as were his relatives, as you saw for yourself" Dumbledore explained. Severus nodded, the Gaunt's had been somewhat disturbing.

"So we keep our eyes and ears open in case he gets a pet, then?" Severus said dryly. That sounded ridiculous, they were talking about the Dark Lord, not a twelve year old girl.

"In a manner of speaking. A potential hiding place in the future, but if we're lucky, we'll have removed his other pieces, and him, before then" the Headmaster told him.

"And the boy?" Severus asked reluctantly.

"I would assume that _that_ Harry Potter in not destined to exist in this reality" he said. Severus nodded. Would that even work? Were there lives now destined to not exist due to his interference? He was getting a headache, all this thinking. It was too much, getting too complicated.

"So these lives that are supposed to born, won't be?" Severus asked, confused and annoyed.

"A Harry Potter may still exist in this time, but maybe he is destined to have a different mother" Dumbledore suggested.

"What?"

"I believe the souls that are meant to be here, will be here, they may just play different parts"

"So, Lily won't be his mother?" he asked.

"I cannot imagine Miss Evans suddenly desiring a child with Mr Potter, can you?" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eye. Severus looked away. He tried not to imagine it, but the insecure part of his brain would bring it up, remind him that he had nothing to offer her. No decent family, no circle of friends, no money. What could he give her that someone else couldn't do a better job of providing?

"Severus? You do know she loves you, don't you?" Dumbledore asked more seriously.

"I know" he replied, sighing. He did know that. He didn't doubt that she loved him. He just had no idea _why_ she loved him, or how long she would continue to do so. He wanted to believe she would be by his side forever, that he could find a way to give her all he felt she deserved. He knew there was no way he would ever love anyone else, whether she was with him or not. The memories only verified what he already knew in his heart. _That_ Severus made terrible mistakes in his youth, but spent his entire adulthood at least attempting to redeem himself. And he loved Lily Evans until he took his dying breath, whether she returned the sentiment or not. And he knew he would do exactly the same.

...

Lily lay with her head in Severus' lap, his fingers running gently through her hair. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply, enjoying the sensations, the tingles from his tender touch.

"Mmm" she breathed contentedly, a smile tugging at her lips. She heard him suppress a laugh. "What?" she asked, looking up, straight into his dark eyes.

"Nothing" he replied, though still looked faintly amused.

"Hmm, I'm not sure I believe you" she told him.

"It's nothing" he assured her, continuing to stroke her hair.

"That feels nice" she told him, sighing again as she closed her eyes once more.

"So I gathered" he replied, still sounding amused, or maybe he was pleased with himself. Either way, he didn't stop. And it felt wonderful, though it made her mind wander, wonder what it would feel like if his fingers roamed elsewhere...

Lily felt herself blushing, the direction her thoughts had taken. She cleared her throat uncomfortably, lifting her head from his lap, moving to sit beside him against the tree.

"What's the matter?" he asked, amusement gone from his voice now.

"Nothing" she answered quickly.

"It's obviously not _nothing._ What's wrong?" he asked again.

"Nothing. There's nothing wrong!" she told him, not even sure why she was snapping. Surely these thoughts were perfectly _normal_. She just didn't know how on earth they were supposed to talk about it. She took a deep breath. "Honestly, there's nothing wrong" she tried to assure him.

"You're sure?" he asked, looking at her curiously.

"Yes. I'm sure" she said, nodding and smiling as best she could, reaching for his hand. Slowly, he nodded, squeezing her fingers gently.

"Ok. You know you can talk to me about anything though, Lily" he said quietly.

"I know" she said, leaning in to kiss him gently, his fingers coming up to her cheek, slipping into her hair again. Lily sighed with contentment as he pulled away from her, shifting his position so he could put his arm around her, pulling her close to him.

"So, how did it go with Dumbledore?" she finally asked him. Severus frowned.

"I'm not entirely sure"

"Oh?"

"Well, the last dream showed a couple more potential hiding places, but they don't exist yet. So not much use really" he told her, still frowning.

"That's a pain then"

"Mmm" he mumbled, kissing the top of her head, his fingers trailing lightly down her arm. Lily closed her eyes, once again enjoying his gentle touch. "Wait a second, what's that?" he suddenly whispered.

"What's what?" she asked, sitting herself upright again, pulling herself away.

"Over there" Lily followed the direction of his gaze.

"It's just a rat, Sev" she told him, seeing the fat brown rat, scurrying in the grass.

"Like hell it is" he snapped, grabbing for his wand. The rat squeaked.

"Sev!" she protested, confused by his sudden change in behaviour.

" _Petrificus Totalus!"_ he shouted, aiming his wand at the rodent. The rat fell over in the grass, completely still.

"Sev, it's just a rat, what's the matter?" she asked him. Severus picked the rat up by the tail.

"I don't think it's just a rat, Lily. I think someone is spying on us" he said, lifting the rat up, peering at it carefully.

"What? Spying? How?"

"One of the Marauders can turn himself into a little rat. Isn't that right, Pettigrew?" Severus whispered "Did you forget that I knew that?"

"Sev, are you sure that's him? It could just be a rat" she told him. They didn't know for sure.

"I'm telling you it's him. And I think we should take him to Dumbledore, let the Headmaster deal with him" Severus said. Lily nodded, she supposed that was the best plan. Severus was convinced that this scruffy creature was Peter Pettigrew, spying on the pair of them on behalf of the Marauders. Just when she thought Potter and Black were leaving him alone.

Severus marched out from beneath the willow, wand in one hand, rat dangling stiffly from the other. Lily followed close behind, almost running as she tried to keep pace with Severus' longer strides. He was not impressed in the slightest, and she knew beneath his silence, his anger was bubbling away. He'd told her before that the Marauders were animagi, something he'd seen in the memories, and the Headmaster had had to grudgingly admit he was aware of it, in order to keep Severus revealing other memories that he saw in his dreams. Lily wasn't entirely convinced that this particular rat was Peter Pettigrew, it could just be a regular rat. But Severus was convinced. So she followed. She would always follow him, no matter the reason.

Students darted out of their way, any crowds almost parting before them. Whether it was because they saw the expression on his face, or because of the rat he carried, she didn't know which it was. They were soon at the Headmaster's office, Severus giving the password revealing the staircase to them. Taking a deep breath, Lily stepped on after him, Severus didn't hesitate to make his way up, he spent so much time here after all.

Severus knocked on the door, silently it opened, revealing the Headmaster's inner office to them. Lily followed Severus as he stepped inside.

"Back so soon, Severus" the Headmaster said pleasantly.

"We have a slight problem, Headmaster" Severus said with a scowl.

"Oh?" Dumbledore asked. Severus lifted up the rat "A rat, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, bemused.

"You and I both know it's not just a rat" Severus scowled. "One of Potter's little friends, spying" he added.

"Is that so?" he asked, standing and making his way from behind the desk.

"I know it's him, Sir"

"In that case, I suggest we turn him back"

"You can do that?" Lily asked in surprise.

"Of course, Miss Evans. An Animagus can affect the change themselves, but they can be turned back into their human form by another" Dumbledore explained.

"Like you, Sir? What if it is just a rat?"

"Then nothing will happen" he told her, Lily nodded, not entirely sure which outcome was the most preferable. Severus placed the rat on the chair.

"And don't even think about running off, Pettigrew" Severus instructed, removing the body bind. Lily looked at Severus cautiously, he was still scowling at the rat, wand aimed at him ready in case he did decide to run. Though if it was just a rat it would probably just run anyway. Dumbledore aimed his wand now too, a jet of blue light bursting from his wand, right at the rat. Lily watched in shock as the rat twisted and stretched, arms and legs growing and changing proportions, face distorting and changing. After a few moments, the rat was gone. And Peter Pettigrew was seated on the chair.

"Good afternoon, Mr Pettigrew" Dumbledore said calmly.

"Good afternoon, Sir" he replied quietly.

"I can't believe you were spying on us!" Lily said, shocked that anybody would.

"I can believe it" Severus said, still looking furious.

"Don't let him hurt me, Headmaster! Please! He's dangerous" Pettigrew protested and pleaded.

"Really, Mr Pettigrew? And what evidence do you have to support that statement?"

"Evidence?"

"Severus isn't dangerous, and you know it. So, why were you spying on us? Did Potter put you up to it?" she snapped, feeling her own anger rising.

"I don't know what you're talking about! I wasn't spying!" he protested.

"What would you call it then?" Severus snapped. "Sneaking about in the shape of a rat, the only people around were Lily and me. You were spying. Why are you all so desperate to know what we talk about?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Snivellus" Pettigrew snapped.

"That's quite enough" Dumbledore said calmly. The three teenagers all looked at the Headmaster.

"May I be excused please, Headmaster?" she asked quietly. She needed answers, and she knew who to go to.

"Of course, Miss Evans" the Headmaster replied. She caught Severus' eye, each nodding, they would talk later, either in person or via the mirrors. But right now, the only thing she wanted to do was find James Potter.

...

"You still got the map, Moony?" James asked suddenly. Remus sighed. _Here we go again_.

"What do you need the map for?" he asked his friend cautiously.

"Oh calm down. I just want to see where Wormtail is. We haven't seen him since lunch time. I thought he'd be here" James explained.

"Yeah, it's weird for old Wormy to ditch us" Sirius added. It was a bit strange, though not the first time he'd been mysteriously absent.

"Maybe he really has got a girlfriend" Remus suggested innocently. The other boys sniggered. A likely story. Remus sighed, taking the map out of his bag, handing it over to James, ignoring both of them as they settled beside him at the table, while he went back to his book.

"Oh dear" James started.

"What?" Remus asked.

"Looks like someone's been a naughty boy" Sirius added.

"He's in Dumbledore's office!" James exclaimed, looking up at Remus with an open mouth.

"What?" Remus asked, grabbing the map suddenly "Along with Snape!" he added.

"What the hell did he do?" James asked. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Remus wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

"Guess he'll have a story to tell later, then" Sirius laughed. James nodded.

"Can I have a word?" Lily's voice suddenly joined. The three of them looked up at her, still in shock. She did not look impressed, her arms were folded defensively across her chest, and the scowl on her face was almost Snape worthy.

"Hey, Evans. What's up?" James asked with feigned innocence.

"Your little rat of a friend, that's _what's up_ , Potter" she snapped angrily.

"What? What are you talking about?" James asked, a look of absolute confusion on his face.

"You don't know?" she asked.

"Lily, I don't think any of us have any idea what's going on" Remus said.

"Why are you looking at the map, then, if it's nothing to do with you?" she asked them.

"We wondered where Wormtail was" Sirius told her.

"Wondering why he was taking so long to get back to you with any information?" she snapped.

"What are you talking about? What happened?" James asked her again.

"Pettigrew was spying on us, like the rat that he is" she said quietly

"What?" Remus asked in disbelief.

"Apparently, he forgot that Severus knew about him. Or he thought he could hide from him" she explained.

"He was _spying_ on you?" James asked.

"You didn't know? You didn't send him after us?" she asked suspiciously.

"No, it was nothing to do with us. I swear!" James told her.

"So, why was he following us then?" she asked.

"I don't know, maybe he's a nosy git. Or maybe he's a little pervert who wants to see you two snogging" James suggested. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Lily, honestly, we didn't know anything about this" Remus tried to assure her.

"So what happened to Wormtail when Snape got hold of him?" Sirius asked.

"Severus put him in a body bind and took him to Dumbledore" she told them.

"That's it? He didn't do anything else?" James asked.

"No, he didn't do anything else" she snapped. James sighed.

"They're still in the Headmaster's office" James said as he glanced at the map.

"Maybe you should be keeping a closer eye on your little friend" Lily suggested, "If none of you had any idea about this, what else don't you know?" she said.

"Wormy wouldn't be up to anything, Evans" Sirius laughed, "He's too much of a coward" he added.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah. It's Wormtail. What's he going to do?" James asked with a shrug.

"We'll keep an eye on him, Lily" Remus told her. Lily looked at each of them carefully, before nodding and heading back out of the common room.

The three boys looked at each other uneasily, whatever was going on with Peter, it probably wasn't good. And definitely something Remus was going to have to keep a close eye on.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

"Hey, Lily, can we walk to Hogsmeade with you?" Mary asked. Lily and Severus stopped to allow Alice and Mary to catch up with them. Lily looked up at Severus in question, he only shrugged in response, not seeming to mind the girls joining them for the walk to the village.

"Sure. Where are Jessica and Harriet?" Lily asked her friends, those four were usually together on Hogsmeade visits.

"Oh, you didn't hear?" Mary asked, breaking out into a wide grin.

"Hear what?"

"They are in Hogsmeade on a double date" Mary stated.

"Really? With who?" Lily asked curiously, getting drawn into the gossip. She could almost hear Severus rolling his eyes.

"Potter and Black" Alice chipped in, upsetting Mary for stealing her news.

"Potter and Black?" Severus asked, obviously as shocked as she was. Lily giggled, as did Mary and Alice. Severus cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Potter and Black, eh?" Lily asked, still smiling, she had to admit she felt more than a little relieved. Potter had finally got the message that she wasn't interested, he was finally paying attention to someone else.

"You look pleased about that" Alice teased.

"I am, it means he's leaving us alone at last" Lily laughed, squeezing Severus' fingers as they continued their walk. Mary and Alice laughed again.

"So what are you two planning to get up to on this beautiful Hogsmeade day?" Alice asked. Lily shrugged.

"I don't think we've really got any set plans, do we, Sev?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Not really. Just the usual, wander around, lunch at the Three Broomsticks, I guess" he replied, looking back at her. Lily nodded. They didn't tend to spend much time in Hogsmeade on visits these days, ever since being ambushed by Lucius Malfoy and the Slytherin gits, it made it hard to relax. Her and Severus felt they were always looking over their shoulders, never knowing if a Death Eater or two was going to appear, to try and _convince_ Severus to abandon her and join their cause. He never would, he would die before he joined them. She just didn't want them to have to test that theory.

Soon, the four of them had made their way down the path to the Village, the first of the shops coming in to view. Students were already hopping from shop to shop, some liked to get their as early as possible, spend as much time as they could, either in Honeydukes, or the joke shop - Zonko's was always popular, despite most of their products being on Filch's 'banned items' list. Teachers were also milling about amongst the students, more than usual it seemed. Often, only two or three kept an eye on the students, but Lily could already see Professors McGonagall and Flitwick heading to the Three Broomsticks, Professor Sprout was wandering down the main road. And most strangely, Dumbledore was also there, currently heading towards The Hog's Head for some reason. Maybe he was gathering information of his own. Or maybe he knew something was expected to happen. An attack? Lily tried to shake off the uneasy feelings, the paranoia. He probably just wanted to get out the castle for a bit, change of scenery and all that.

"So where are you two headed first?" Lily asked the girls.

"Honeydukes, I think. Definitely in need of restocking my chocolate supplies" Mary answered happily. Chocolate was always good.

"How about you two?" Alice asked.

"Bookshop first for us, I think. Right, Sev?" Lily asked him with a smile.

"Should have known that" Mary giggled, elbowing Alice playfully.

"Right" Alice said, rolling her eyes "Well, we'll see you guys later. Have fun" she teased, giggling as she pushed Mary away, off in the direction of everyone's favourite sweet shop.

"We will" Lily answered quietly, more to Severus than anyone else. "So, book shop, then?" she asked him.

"Lead on, love" he instructed. Lily smiled at the term of endearment, it was rare he called her by anything other than her given name. Not that she minded either way, he had a way of saying her name that gave her goosebumps. Sometimes, she was convinced he did it on purpose, finding amusement in her blushes.

The two walked hand in hand on down the path, making their way to the book shop. They didn't need anything really, no research to do, no homework they needed extra materials for. But it never stopped them looking, both perfectly at home amongst the stacks of books. She couldn't help but wonder if any future children of theirs would inherit that characteristic. She certainly hoped so. And she couldn't help but wonder what House they'd be in. She'd heard children tended to follow into the Houses of their parents - as Severus had followed his mother into Slytherin. But what about a child with parents from opposing Houses? Would they be Slytherin like their father and his family? Or Gryffindor like her? Or maybe, they'd be completely unique. A reserved and studious Ravenclaw? A loyal and hard working Hufflepuff? Well, perhaps not a Hufflepuff, but she could definitely envisage a small person combining hers and Severus' best talents, creating a brilliant and intelligent Ravenclaw. Yes, that sounded perfect.

Lily and Severus made their way up the stairs, finding a quiet corner to browse along the shelves, looking for any hidden treasures.

"I wonder why Dumbledore came down to Hogsmeade" Lily said to him quietly, wondering if he had any theories himself.

"It does make a change for him to come to the Village, doesn't it?" Severus asked curiously.

"Do you think he knows something?" she asked.

"I don't know" Severus shrugged "I suppose it's possible, he could have been told that Death Eater's are in the area, but I didn't see any Aurors though"

"True, they could be hiding" she reasoned. It was entirely possible that they'd hidden themselves, watching for any disturbances from a distance.

"I think if Aurors were here, they'd make themselves visible as a deterrent. Make the Death Eater's think before attacking. And Dumbledore wouldn't want to put students at risk. He'd have cancelled the visit if he thought there would be an attack. Especially -"

"Especially considering you're here" she finished for him. Dumbledore couldn't risk something happening to Severus, he was needed in this fight. Perhaps even more than some of the others on his side. Severus sighed and nodded, she knew he didn't like thinking about himself in that way.

"So, why is he here then?" she asked again.

"Maybe he wants to keep an eye on Avery and the others, in case they meet up with Mulciber and Rosier. He was heading to The Hog's Head after all" he reasoned. Lily nodded, that would make some sense, try and keep close to the ones that really were most likely to attack Severus. "Or maybe he knows some of the business owners in the Village and wants to gather some information first hand" he added. Lily nodded again, that was something she'd thought about too.

"Or maybe we over think everything and it's just his turn at chaperoning the visit" she added, though still not at all convinced that that was the case. She couldn't ever recall seeing him personally in Hogsmeade, he would always remain back at the Castle, leaving the other teachers to take turns supervising the children as they shopped and explored.

"Do you want to head over the Three Broomsticks?" she asked him, neither of them were paying much attention to the books.

"Sounds good" he nodded "It's quite warm in here, I think I could use a drink" he added. Lily nodded too, putting the book she held back on the shelf, giving Severus a small smile as he reached for her hand. For some reason, they both felt uneasy, and she had no idea why.

...

Severus grasped Lily's hand tightly as he pushed open the door to the pub, glancing around for a table.

"You go and sit down, Sev, I'll get us some drinks" she told him quietly. Severus nodded, squeezing her hand before breaking off, heading for a small table in the corner.

Severus watched as Lily headed up to the bar, her back to him as she ordered. He glanced around the large space, trying to see who else was there today. Potter and Black were at a table with the two Ravenclaw girls Lily had mentioned this morning, both girls were smiling politely as the two Marauders talked animatedly together, no doubt trying to impress their dates with tales of their many escapades. Lupin and Pettigrew were at another nearby table, Severus stared at the rat of a boy, who shifted uncomfortably as he realised he'd come under Severus' scrutiny - strangely, ever since he'd discovered Pettigrew spying on him a couple of weeks ago, he'd found himself paying closer attention to the boy. Pettigrew had always hidden behind a screen of cowardice and stupidity - but just how stupid could a self taught Animagus actually be? At least Potter had always been bold and showy, he knew exactly what he was getting with Potter. And Black too, they were like two peas in a pod. But Pettigrew? Maybe the silent sneak was more dangerous. Severus sighed. Lily was right, the two of them were getting more paranoid by the day. Severus rubbed his eyes, suddenly feeling tired, the constant over thinking of every little thing was utterly exhausting.

"You ok, Sev?" Lily asked as she placed a mug of butterbeer on the table in front of him.

"Just a little tired. That's all" he said quietly.

"You do look tired, Severus. Is something troubling you?" The Headmaster asked, suddenly standing beside their table.

"Just over thinking every little thing, Sir" he admitted.

"Would you like to join us, Sir?" Lily asked politely. She would always be polite, bless her, even if it wasn't called for.

"Thank you, Miss Evans, a most gracious invitation" he acknowledged with a smile and twinkle in his blue eyes, taking a seat beside her. "What exactly are you _over thinking_ today?" Dumbledore asked him curiously.

"Oh, this and that" Severus stated calmly. "Mainly wondering what brings you to Hogsmeade today, Sir" he said as he met the Headmasters eyes.

"Ah, well there's nothing to worry about there, Severus. Merely stretching my legs on this beautiful day" he told them.

"Mmm" Severus mumbled suspiciously "You couldn't do that back at the Castle?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Dumbledore laughed, amused by Severus' cheek, he didn't think any other student would talk to him that way.

"Sev!" Lily admonished gently. She didn't fully understand the relationship between himself and the Headmaster.

"Do not worry, Miss Evans. I am well aware of Severus' manner" he said with a smile. Severus rolled his eyes. "I like to keep myself acquainted with the local business owners"

"The Hog's Head, Sir?" Severus asked.

"Indeed. If you must know, the owner of The Hog's Head is my brother" he virtually whispered "I thought this a good opportunity to _catch up_ if you will"

"So, you're not expecting any surprise visits then?" Severus asked.

"Visits, Severus?"

"Death Eaters?"

"Severus, do you honestly think I would have allowed a Hogsmeade visit to take place if I believed an attack were imminent?" he asked curiously.

"Not really, Sir" Severus sighed. At least that was something, if there genuinely was any sort of danger, they wouldn't _be_ in Hogsmeade at all.

Severus turned his attentions back to the other patrons in the pub, most were students from Hogwarts - thankfully none of them seemed to be the Slytherins that had an issue with him, though the fact that Dumbledore was sat with him should prove enough of a deterrent to anyone that might consider targeting him and Lily today. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were talking quietly at another table, with an eccentric looking woman he couldn't ever recall seeing before.

Severus sipped his drink as Lily and the Headmaster talked quietly about the summer holidays. Severus couldn't take his eyes off the strange woman, dressed in layers of floaty skirts and tops, necklaces and beads, a heavily sequined shawl, reflecting the light at strange angles, wild mass of hair with gold hoop earring peeking out between the curls. Peculiar glasses magnifying her eyes oddly. Clutching a deck of cards tightly as she spoke to the Professors. Whatever the strange woman was saying, McGonagall didn't look too impressed, Flitwick just looked amused.

Suddenly, the woman followed McGonagall's gaze, to stare straight at his table. At Dumbledore. And at himself. He could see her weirdly magnified eyes widen as she saw him. Severus frowned. This wasn't going to go well. The woman cautiously made her way over to the table.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, just the man I've been looking for" she stammered, still not taking her eyes off of Severus.

"Indeed?" he queried. "And what can I do for you today, Miss Trelawney?" he asked her politely.

"I just wondered how everything was up at the Castle. Is your Divination teacher any closer to retiring?" she asked eagerly. Severus fought back a snort.

"Now, now, my dear Sybill. Our current Professor seems quite happy for the time being. Though, I must say, the number of students studying Divination has declined enormously over the last ten years or so" he told her.

"Perhaps it is time for a new instructor" she told him, her voice barely more than a whisper, "One who appreciates the noble art of reading the future for what it is" she smiled, obviously desperate to win the old man over. Severus rolled his eyes, predicting the future. If there were genuine Seers, he doubted the skill could be taught. His own situation was an indication of that - it wasn't something he was _trying_ to do. It just was. Maybe his situation was entirely unique.

"Or perhaps, dear lady, it is becoming obsolete" Dumbledore said with a raised eyebrow, clearly teasing the woman.

"Don't be too hasty, Headmaster. Everyone could use information about that road that lies ahead" she told him. "You" she said, pointing suddenly at Severus, "You have been touched by the future. You understand" she stated, staring at him, hardly blinking behind those ridiculous glasses. Severus swallowed, not wanting to acknowledge the statement at all. He shook his head the tiniest amount he dared, he could see Lily biting her lip, the Headmaster glancing curiously between them all.

"Here" she said, thrusting her deck of cards into Severus' hands. "Shuffle these, it will become clearer" she instructed. Severus looked at Dumbledore, who said nothing, only gave a single tight nod in his direction. Severus frowned as he shuffled, feeling utterly ridiculous. He didn't believe in fortune telling. That's all Tarot was after all, it had _nothing_ to do with his situation. Lily was watching him carefully as he shuffled, everyone seemingly holding their breath as they waited.

Eventually, he handed the shuffled deck back to the woman, who remained standing the entire time, directly opposite him. She took the card from the top of the deck, laying it face down on the table. Lily moved her mug to make room, no idea how many cards she was intending to pull out for him. She drew a second card, then a third. All face down in a row in front of him.

"The first card is an indicator of your past" she told him, turning the card over. "Judgment" she whispered. "At some point in your past you were judged, and deemed worthy of being given a second chance. The ability to right your wrongs, make better choices for yourself and those around you. I hope you are using this chance for the right reasons. Do not waste it" she informed them quietly. Severus frowned, feeling more uncomfortable as she continued.

"This card, is an indication of your present situation" she said as she moved on to the second card drawn, turning it over. "Temperance, the Angel of Time. A symbol of the way the past flows into our future. In this instance, she is reversed - the future is affecting your past, or present. You are too focused on the future and what it could teach you. You need to find a healthier balance, you are obsessed. Or confused. Perhaps you cannot tell the difference between past and future" she said curiously. Severus was definitely feeling his nerves increasing. _Why?_ He _didn't believe in this_.

"The last card. Your future" she said as she turned over the final card. "The Chariot. Drawn by two horses - one light, one dark. Both are needed for the journey ahead. You will succeed, but it is a road fraught with danger. You are cloaked in armour, protecting your true nature - your personality and emotions. But this is temporary. You _will_ be the victor" she told him, her voice quiet. Dumbledore was watching with a raised eyebrow. Severus shook his head, he really wasn't sure what to think any more.

"I need some fresh air" he whispered, quickly making his way out from behind the table, wanting, _needing_ , to get outside as quickly as possible. As soon as he was outside, he walked as quickly as he could along the path, breathing heavily, trying to push aside the woman's ramblings.

"Are you ok, Sev?" Lily called after him. Severus stopped, allowing her to catch up with him. He shrugged as soon as she was stood in front of her.

"Wait!" the woman called, chasing the teenagers, along with Dumbledore. Severus rolled his eyes and turned to leave again. "Wait! Please!" she called again. Severus stopped, sighing as he turned to face them again. "You are, most unusual" she whispered as she approached him.

" _I'm_ unusual?" he asked dubiously. She was one to talk.

"Severus -" Dumbledore began, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by the mad woman, suddenly wheezing, her eyes taking on a far-off, glazed expression, her voice changing as she spoke again. Dumbledore muttered a quick spell giving them privacy, whatever was about to happen, he clearly didn't want anyone to overhear. Lily gripped his hand suddenly, obviously nervous at the unfolding situation.

" _The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord is among us"_ she rasped. " _Time has cast Judgment upon his soul. Wrongs will be made right as the strands of time shift. Memories dislodged from his future's past. He can uncover the secrets of the soul. The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord walks among us"_ she finished.

Severus shook his head, breathing deeply, glancing nervously between Lily and the Headmaster. Lily looked as terrified as he felt. Dumbledore's expression looked as serious as he'd ever seen it.

"No one must ever know about this " Dumbledore whispered to the two teenagers. Neither responded to him, just stared, confused and scared.

"Oh, my, I think I drifted off for a minute there" the woman whispered, her nervous laughter the only sound in the street.

"Nonsense, dear lady. Now, why don't you allow me to escort you back to the Inn, we still have a few matters to discuss" he informed her, plastering on a polite smile, offering his arm to the scatty woman.

"Right yes, very well" she agreed happily, clearly no idea of the words she'd just uttered.

"I suggest you two return back to the Castle" he said, casting a final look at the two students. Severus nodded, reaching for Lily's hand. They couldn't let anyone know about this meeting. If Voldemort found out, it could very well end up being a death sentence.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Albus Dumbledore sat behind his desk, rubbing his forehead with his hand. Minerva and Horace seated on the opposite side of the desk, watching him in silence. As soon as Minerva had returned to the Castle after the Hogsmeade visit, he'd sent for both her and Horace immediately. They needed to know something about today's events. He just didn't know how to begin. Or how much to tell them. Part of him didn't want to tell them anything, the more people that knew, the more chance there was of someone on the other side finding out. And then, Severus Snape was as good as dead. He would suddenly find herself at the top of Voldemort's most wanted list. The Death Eater's would be looking to kill the boy, rather than _encourage_ him to switch sides, as per their current agenda. Albus sighed as he tried to make sense of it in his head.

"Are you going to tell us what this is about, Albus?" Minerva finally asked. "Something has clearly rattled you"

"Indeed, Albus. We're not used to seeing you so serious" Horace added with amusement. Albus removed his hand, looking seriously at his friends and colleagues.

"There seems to have been some new information uncovered this afternoon in Hogsmeade" he told them.

"Oh? Anything interesting from Aberforth?" Minerva asked.

"No. Not Aberforth" he said, shaking his head, "Sybill Trelawney"

"Albus, she's nothing but a crackpot!" Minerva exclaimed. Horace chuckled.

"For the most part, I'd be inclined to agree. But - " Albus started, but cut himself off.

"But what, Albus?" Minerva prompted.

"This concerns Severus" Albus stated.

"I see. In what way?" she asked him.

"Some of the things she said in The Three Broomsticks were unsettlingly accurate - she told him he had been touched by the future. I can only hope that anyone listening to our conversation there would discount her words. But this could be dangerous if Voldemort were to place any importance in them" Albus explained.

"Nobody would take the woman seriously, Albus. Everyone knows she has a penchance for _predicting_ doom and gloom" Minerva muttered matter-of-factly.

"That is not my greatest concern though, Minerva" Albus said.

"Oh?"

"After an impromptu Tarot reading given to Severus - which also confirmed a thing or two about him, or perhaps, made things a little clearer. Severus left the pub with Miss Evans, more than a little rattled I must say. Miss Trelawney followed, so naturally I did also"

"Yes, I did see the lot of you dashing out of the place rather suddenly" Minerva added.

"Quite. And rather glad I did. When we caught up with them, Sybill went into an almost trance like state. She made a Prophecy" he said seriously.

"A Prophecy?" Horace blustered "And you believe it?" Albus sighed.

"It does seem to be a genuine Prophecy. Until I can get to the Ministry and verify that, I cannot be 100% certain. But I believe it is genuine" he told them, standing to retrieve the Pensieve. Perhaps best to show the two Heads of House exactly what happened. Albus placed his wand to his temple, withdrawing the silvery strand of memory, dropping into the stone basin with a flick. He motioned his colleagues closer, waving his hand, the eerie form of Sybill Trelawney rose from the Pensieve, her words echoing in the office -

 _"The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord is among us. Time has cast Judgment upon his soul. Wrongs will be made right as the strands of time shift. Memories dislodged from his futures past. He can uncover the secrets of the soul. The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord walks among us"_

The ghostly form sank back into the bowl. Albus looked carefully at his colleagues.

"The Prophecy is about Severus?" Horace asked, his expression sombre.

"So it would seem. Thankfully, he has not been named, so it will not appear on the Prophecy's label" he told them. That was a small mercy. Anyone that was potentially working undercover at the Ministry may discover a Prophecy regarding Voldemort had been made - the Dark Lord was specifically mentioned. But they shouldn't be able to link it to Severus. Unless they did that purely by guess work. It was still a dangerous situation though.

"The boy needs more protection then, Albus" Minerva stated. That much was obvious.

"Indeed he does. Now during term time he is quite safe here at Hogwarts, though it is now almost the end of the school year. He will soon be heading home for the summer"

"Is that really wise?" she asked him.

"I do not think he would be in immediate danger. Living in the Muggle world as he does should provide him with an adequate hiding place at least for this summer"

"It's still taking a chance though. What about putting magical protections around his house?" she asked.

"That would only serve to draw more attention to him" he still believed that. If Voldemort had no idea where Severus lived, there was no reason to point it out to him. Voldemort would guess that protection was there for a reason. And if he heard that a Prophecy had been made, surely he'd put two and two together. He was a very clever wizard after all.

"I will have order members monitor the area he lives in. And I will visit myself during the holidays, it may become necessary to move his mother as the War progresses, she has all but rejected magic and would not be able to defend herself should anyone from the other side decide to pay her a visit"

"They could target her to get to Severus" Horace reasoned.

"They could. I will attempt to convince her to hide when Severus returns here in September" Albus explained. Eileen would definitely need hiding, he just didn't know if he would be able to convince her of that. And he definitely wasn't revealing the Prophecy to her. Not a chance.

"And what about Trelawney?" Minerva asked "If Voldemort finds out she made the Prophecy, surely he'll want to _speak_ with her - to hear the Prophecy for himself, or to reveal a new one" she explained.

"That is a concern, yes" Albus nodded "For now, I have arranged for her to stay at The Hog's Head, at least for the summer. I may move her to Hogwarts itself come September"

"You're not seriously going to give her a job, Albus?" Minerva protested.

"Perhaps. Maybe as an associate. She doesn't remember making this Prophecy, which is probably a good thing, she cannot go repeating it to anyone. But that also means she has no idea that she is in need of protection" Albus explained calmly. The others nodded in realisation.

"Such a lot on Severus' shoulders though, Albus" Horace said, looking rather saddened.

"It is, but as I said before, he will not shy away from it. He is strong, and determined to see this through to its end" Albus stated, he truly believed that.

"And he'll succeed?" Minerva asked him.

"I believe so. I believed it before this Prophecy was made. This is just for confirmation, Severus _is_ the right man for this. _Our_ jobs are to protect him, and help him gather all the information he needs to end this" Albus told them, giving a pointed look at Horace. They still needed his memory - how many hiding places? And how many could be discounted accounting for the difference in time?

"Needless to say, this must not be discussed outside of this office. No one outside of us three can know - apart from Severus and Miss Evans obviously" Albus added.

"They won't discuss it?" Minerva asked.

"They are both intelligent. Severus protects their every conversation with a privacy spell of his own creation" Albus told them, "They are aware of the stakes. This is War" he added sadly. His colleagues nodded. The three of them in the office were fully aware of the requirements of War. Albus had hoped to end it himself, just as he had ended Grindelwald's reign of power. This time, he was supporting a seventeen year old in removing a tyrant - even if he appeared to be the leader to the outside world. This was a dangerous game, one wrong move, one wrong word. And everything would come crashing down around them.

...

Lily and Severus had headed straight for his room once back at the Castle. The journey back had been tense. And silent. Severus had clung tightly to her hand, his strides much faster than usual, a nervous energy seeming to propel him forwards. That left Lily struggling to keep up with him, he only slowed slightly as he noticed she was getting short of breath.

They hadn't spent long in Hogsmeade at all, this had been their shortest visit to the Village by far. Catching sight of Dumbledore as they arrived had left them feeling uneasy, too tense to relax and enjoy themselves. Just when they thought the day was improving, some mad woman had come and dropped that bombshell on them.

Now, back in his room, Lily was seated cross-legged on his bed, watching as Severus paced the room like a caged tiger, the anxiety in the room was palpable. And Severus was close to exploding. She could sense it, and had no idea how to calm him down. Or head off the coming explosion. All she could do was watch, as he paced. Trying to wrap his head around what the woman had revealed. The Tarot reading had been spooky enough, sounding scarily close to the truth of the life Severus seemed to be living. But that eerie whispered voice? _The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord is among us..._ Severus.

"Sev?" she whispered quietly, almost afraid to interrupt him. He didn't reply, only kept up with his pacing. "It doesn't necessarily mean anything" she told him. He wouldn't believe that. He stopped still, right in front of her.

"But it does though, doesn't it?" he asked fearfully.

"Is she really a Seer though? Or just a very good actress?" Lily asked. "She wants a job here at Hogwarts after all" she suggested, surely they couldn't discount that completely. Severus sighed.

"We both know these memories are showing me things, things You-Know-Who is doing to his soul. I'm getting memories from somewhere in the future, to make right the wrongs that some version of me has made. You know this is real, Lily"

"If you already know this, why has it rattled you so much?" she asked worriedly. Severus sat beside her on the bed, reaching for her hand.

"I guess someone else saying that, it made it seem _real._ It was different when it was just us, and Dumbledore. But it's bigger than that now. And if anyone from Voldemort's side finds out about this prediction, then I'm really in trouble" he admitted quietly.

"But how would they know it means you?" she asked.

"Because the Death Eaters already think I have some kind of information, they've said that themselves. That's why they want to _recruit_ me. If they think I have the power to destroy him, they'll just be out to remove the threat" he whispered.

"But no one was there apart from us and Dumbledore. No one else knows that she's even made a prediction, Sev" she said gently. "I don't even think _she_ knows what she's said"

"True. I guess all we can do is hope no one else finds out about this" he told her.

"And hope Dumbledore has a plan. Will it be safe for you to go home for summer?" she asked, really hoping he would. It was bad enough he wasn't spending the holidays at her house, but if he had to spend it in hiding? How could she make it through two months without him? If it came to that, she'd go with him. She'd always be by his side if there was any choice in the matter.

"I really hope so, Lily. I guess we'll talk to Dumbledore about it tomorrow" he said quietly. Lily stroked his hand with her thumb, he seemed much calmer now, though his breathing was still heavier than normal.

"She did say you were going to be the victor though, Sev" Lily suggested, trying to lighten the mood. Severus snorted.

"Ah, the Tarot" he said, rolling his eyes.

"Mmm" she smiled, "The boy given a second chance, past and future muddled by memories. The boy with the knowledge to defeat You-Know-Who once and for all" she said softly.

"Mmm" he mumbled suspiciously "Well, I did say I was going to have a part in it, didn't I?"

"That you did, oh Chosen One" she teased with a grin. Severus rolled his eyes, but he couldn't quite mask the smile that tugged at his lips.

"Enough of that, Miss Evans" he said, shaking his head. Lily smiled, leaning in to kiss him then. The risk of his temper exploding had passed, somehow, she'd managed to talk him down, logic, discussion and gentle teasing had seen the Severus she knew and loved being back in her arms.

Whatever was going to follow was clearly going to be dangerous, they'd known that all along. Just as she'd known this stubborn boy - well, man now - was going to play his part in this through to the end. She could only hope that this Trelawney was right, he would fight, but he had the power to take on Voldemort. And he would win. She had to hold on to that thought. That hope.

For now, there was nothing else they could do. The only thing that mattered right at this moment, was Severus, and her. And the blissful feeling of his lips moving against hers, gentle and passionate, his hands moving against her, one around her waist, the other trailing softly through her hair. Lily's own arms wrapped around him, pulling him close as she continued to kiss him. Trying to convey everything she felt for him, as they lived in that moment.

...

"So, how was your double date, then?" Remus asked his friends.

"It was great" James said, grinning as he spoke.

"Yeah, really great" confirmed Sirius happily. Remus nodded.

"So, you'll be seeing them again?" Remus asked.

"I hope so" James laughed. "It was really good fun actually" he added.

"I'm glad you had fun" Remus said seriously. He was glad really, James was finally stopping his clumsy attempts at wooing Lily Evans. Finally giving her and Snape some space. And the fact that Sirius was interested in a girl too, meant that the pair of them were too preoccupied to continue their usual _spying_ and teasing. It made a nice change to not have to permanently talk them out of watching the map, or following him under the invisibility cloak. It definitely made life easier. Though, there was still the fact that Peter kept disappearing. Like now...

"So, what did you and Wormtail get up to then, without us?" Sirius asked cheerfully.

"Not much, to be honest. Really only went to Honeydukes, spent most of the time in The Three Broomsticks"

"Oh yeah, thought I saw you in there" James grinned.

"Really, and I thought you only had eyes for Jessica" Remus teased his friend.

"Ha ha, Moony. Seriously though, was Dumbledore there?" James asked.

"Yes, that was a bit strange" Remus said. "That woman made a bee-line for him" Remus frowned, remembering the odd looking woman who'd made her way over to talk to the Headmaster, though she'd seemed more interested in...

"A woman eh?" Sirius laughed, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I think she was looking for work" Remus told them seriously "As a Professor" he added when he saw their expressions.

"Did you hear what they spoke about?" James asked curiously.

"Some, I wasn't sat at the next table, but with my exceptional listening skills, I could hear some of it" he told his friends. Not entirely sure he should share what he'd heard.

"Do tell" Sirius instructed eagerly. Remus glanced around them, making sure no one else was nearby.

"Well, Dumbledore was sitting with Snape and Lily. The woman came over asking about Divination here at the school, but she never took her eyes off of Snape" he explained.

"Well, he is funny looking with that great beak of his" Sirius grinned.

"She was adamant she had to read Snape's cards, she spoke about second chances, righting wrongs, the past, the future. It all sounded a bit crazy. When she was done, Snape ran off out the place, Lily followed him pretty close, the woman and Dumbledore ran off after the pair of them" he explained.

"Weird" Sirius stated.

"Sounds like a nut job to me" James added "Probably showing off to try and get herself a job"

"Righting wrongs, whatever" Sirius laughed.

"You don't believe any of this, do you Moony? What else did she say?" James asked.

"I'm not sure what to believe. There was other stuff too, but if she's right, then it could be dangerous for him, couldn't it?" Remus reasoned.

"Only if she's right. I say she's a nutter" Sirius told him.

"Possibly, but the way Snape and Dumbledore reacted to what she said, it seemed like she was stumbling close to the truth"

"The reason he spends so much time with Dumbledore?" James asked him.

"Possibly. Lily said there was more going on than we realised. Just how big is it?" Remus asked, things were clicking into place in his mind. "Snape really is on our side" he added seriously. James and Sirius looked more than a little confused.

"So what happened after they all ran off?" James asked.

"No idea. I didn't follow them. And I didn't see any of them again after that. I don't think we should tell anyone about this, though"

"Not even Evans?" James asked.

"No, if you ask her about it, she'll assume you're spying on them again - though it wasn't you, and it wasn't intentional. And I don't think we should tell Peter"

"What? You don't trust Wormy?" Sirius asked.

"There's something that's not quite right and I can't put my finger on it." Remus admitted. "He keeps disappearing on us, he's calling Snape more names than you two do, which is saying something. I'm not quite sure what it is, though"

"So what do we do then?" James asked.

"I think we need to carry on as normal, and try not to talk about Snape when he's around. Please, just until I figure this out" Remus begged. He just needed a little time, that was all. But ever since Snape and Lily had caught Peter spying on them, something was definitely off. It wasn't the fact he'd been snooping around them, it was the fact that they'd had no idea what he'd been up to. And they still had no idea what he did when he was strangely absent - like now. Perhaps they should get the map, see if that shed any light on the matter. Slowly, the two boys nodded.

"Sure, if you think that's for the best, Moony" James acknowledged.

"If this is as big as I think it could be, the less talk, the better. And it won't be forever" he assured his friends. They nodded again, moving the conversation away from Snape and the mystery Tarot reader. Dumbledore's reaction to it was a clue enough. She had revealed something big about Severus Snape. And possibly the War itself.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

"Do you mind if I come in?" Lupin's voice interrupted his thoughts as he stared ahead. Severus was stood in front of the window, staring out at the horizon, on the train home for the summer, feeling uneasy about leaving the safety of the Castle.

Severus shrugged as he turned to face the intruder, keeping his face expressionless. Lupin slid the door closed behind him as he stepped fully inside the compartment, a sheepish smile flickering across his features for a moment.

"So, is everything ok?" Lupin asked him.

"And why would you be interested?" Severus asked with a frown. Like Lupin cared. _Like he was going to tell him._

"Well, it's been a bit of a strange year, hasn't it?"

"Your point?"

"You've been through a lot"

"What would you know about what I've been through?" Severus snapped.

"Look, I know things haven't exactly been _friendly_ between us, but I have managed to keep James and Sirius of your back for the most part"

"And now what? You want my gratitude? Payment?" Severus asked, rolling his eyes.

"No! No of course not. I just thought you'd know that I'm on your side" Lupin told him "There are things we need to talk about" he added.

"What things?" Severus asked suspiciously.

"I heard some of what that woman said in The Three Broomsticks" Lupin whispered. Severus tried to keep his face neutral. Well, neutral to pissed off, either was fine by him.

" _Muffliato._ What?"

"I heard some of what she said. About the past, and the future" he said quietly.

"The rantings of a drunken mad woman" Severus whispered, rolling his eyes.

"Mmm, I'm not so sure. Not the way Dumbledore reacted. And you" Lupin told him.

"I was merely annoyed by the woman" he sneered. "Anyway, how did you hear what was said?"

"I know you know about me" he stated.

"Ah yes. That" Severus replied. _The Werewolf_. Obviously.

"She said you were going to win" Lupin said. Severus sighed.

"She's still just a mad woman" he told him again.

"Look, you know and I know there's something big going on. And I also know you're not going to tell me. We are on the same side though. The War, it's bigger than us. Bigger than school grudges." Lupin explained. He was right. But he'd be damned if he was going to start bringing a bloody _Marauder_ into this.

"So, how many others have you shared this little nugget of information with?" Severus asked suspiciously, the last thing he needed was that lovely Tarot reading to become the latest gossip. Lupin sighed before he continued.

"Well, I spoke to James and Sirius that night -"

"Obviously. And the little rat, I'm sure" Severus interrupted, rolling his eyes. Brilliant.

"No, actually"

"Oh?" _That_ surprised him.

"That's partly what I wanted to talk to you about. He's been acting strange, going off alone"

"Spying on me?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't think he'd try that again. But he is very interested in you. And that time you caught him, we had no idea about, by the way"

"Yes, Lily told me she spoke with you" he admitted quietly. "You think he's up to something?" he asked. He'd thought similarly, there was something going on with the rat.

"I don't know. But something doesn't add up" Lupin admitted. "So, no, we've said nothing to him. Just in case"

"I see"

"And the other day, he met with Regulus Black" Lupin added.

"Oh?" Now _that_ could be a problem.

"I spoke to him about it, he said Regulus stopped him to ask how Sirius was doing, he moved in with the Potter's last summer, you know"

"Hmm. I doubt that's the case" the Black brothers practically hated each other - the eldest a brashy Gryffindor jackass who delighted in tormenting anyone he deemed less worthy, less than himself. And the youngest - the next in a long line of insane members of the Black family, one potentially willing to sign his life over in service to the Dark Lord. Both made no secret of the fact that each thought the other to be a complete idiot. Up until a year ago he would have said he didn't know which of them was worse. Now, albeit grudgingly, he'd have to admit that the elder brother was the lesser of two evils.

"Like I said, there's something not quite adding up here. I'll keep an eye on it though, and let you know if I discover anything" Lupin told him. Severus could only nod, not sure what to say to that. "And I won't tell anyone else, about, well... you know" he added. Severus nodded again, he wasn't used to having such a civilised conversation. "I know you probably won't, but if you want to, you can write" Lupin said. Severus almost snorted. _Stupid Marauder, wanting to be his new best friend._ "Like I said, you probably won't" Lupin laughed. "Anyway, have a good summer, you and Lily" he said as he turned to slide the compartment door open.

"Lupin? Thanks" Severus reluctantly said to him. Clearly surprised, Lupin nodded, glancing briefly over his shoulder before continuing on out of the compartment, closing the door behind him. He knew Lupin would be wondering what his 'thanks' were for - information about Pettigrew? For the tentative offer at friendship? Maybe it was a combination of all of those things. Let Lupin read into it whatever he wanted. Lupin had given him something to think about. Something he would talk about with Lily once they were home. And definitely something he would bring up with Dumbledore.

...

Lily sighed as she sank down into a chair at the familiar kitchen table.

"There you go, sweetheart" her mother said warmly, placing a perfect cup of tea in front of her.

"Thanks, Mum"

"No problem, dear" she answered, slipping into the seat beside her. "You look exhausted, Lily"

"Mmm. It's such a long trip on that train" she admitted, "Fortunately everyone behaved themselves this time" For that, she was grateful, patrols had all been pretty uneventful, the main problem was a few students feeling queasy - a combination of excitement at going home for the summer, and too many sweets.

"That's good then. Everything else ok"? her mother asked gently.

"Yes, everything's fine" she assured her. Well, maybe not _fine_ exactly. But there was only so much she could tell her family. Not without terrifying them.

"It seems like everything is going well between you and Severus?" her mother said, more in question than a statement. Lily smiled and nodded.

"Yes, perfect" that was at least true. Despite his initial nerves after the 'Hogsmeade Prophecy', with the acknowledgment that his position in the War was as real as his dreams were leading him to believe, a sense of calmness had settled into their relationship. The final bit of his insecurity melting away with this new information. _Her son_ was supposed to be the boy the Prophecy referred to - according to his memories. Even though she'd reassured him that she wasn't going anywhere, it had obviously always been at the back of his mind - he couldn't change everything. And if her son was supposed to be the Wizarding World's saviour, then what right did he have to stand in the way?

This new Prophecy, obviously indicating that this time _Severus_ was the One. Well, that was enough for him to finally stop questioning things. She may still have a son in the future they were creating, and so might James Potter. But that didn't mean that they were destined to _share_ a son. Each of them were free to choose their offspring's other parent. Without question, her choice was Severus, it had been for a long time. This future was theirs to choose. It wouldn't happen the same way again.

"Are you ok, Lily?" her mother asked.

"Oh, what"?

"You looked, far away"

"Sorry" she mumbled, smiling and blushing under her mother's gaze.

"Thinking about Severus?" her mother asked, smiling at her.

"Mmm" she admitted. Her mother laughed.

"Is he still being picked on?" she asked suddenly.

"Not as much, thankfully. The boys in my House seem to have finally got the message that Sev's one of the good guys and mostly called a truce" she told her.

"And is one them still pursuing you?"

"No, he's finally turned his attention towards someone else" the fact that Potter was still seeing Jessica Marshall was wonderful. Potter wasn't playing the jackass to impress any more. Much more peaceful this way.

"Oh that's a relief for you both" her mother said sincerely. Lily nodded. "What about the other boys?" Lily sighed.

"Well, it's not as bad as it was. Two of them have been expelled" she told her, she hadn't told her parents about either of those incidents.

"Expelled? What on earth did they do?" she asked nervously. Lily took a deep breath before continuing.

"Well, one of them used a curse on Severus, a while ago. One that's against the law to use on another person" she said quietly. Her mother gasped. "So he was expelled. Then another one of them used a curse on me and was expelled. So the others seem too scared to move against him" she explained, and that was a good thing after all. Though, she knew her mother would focus on the _curses_. "He didn't hurt me" she said quickly, as she saw her mother's expression.

"Why didn't either of you tell me before?"

"It's really, really complicated, Mum" she admitted. "Severus is still working with the Headmaster really closely. But I can't really talk about much of it"

"Why not? What is going on?"

"Look, I don't want you to be worrying, Mum" she said.

"I'm always going to worry about you, Lily. You are my daughter. And I assume Severus will be my son-in-law one day. Of course I'm going to worry" her mother explained gently.

"There's a War going on, Mum. In the Wizarding world. A dark wizard has gathered a whole army of followers - insane ones that believe in blood purity. They despise people like me - Muggleborns"

"The ones that were, are, after Severus?"

"Yes. They want to _recruit_ him to their side. To them, he's an ideal candidate - Slytherin, intelligent, reclusive, not exactly a 'people person'"

"The poor boy is just shy" her mother interrupted.

"Well yes, he _is_ shy, but genuinely he'd much rather be left alone than have people pestering him. He doesn't suffer fools gladly" she added with a smile. He really could be such a grouch when it came to people _intruding,_ but he was gradually relaxing around some of her friends.

"But he's working with Dumbledore?"

"Yes. Severus is, well, he's different to most students. The other side want him. Severus has already chosen sides, and he is completely loyal. You know how stubborn he is, once his mind is set there is nothing that will change it" she told her. There was no way anything could sway him now. Her mother nodded.

"Yes, he is rather. I suppose that's a good thing though"

"It is when I'm the one he's most protective of" she smiled. Wherever she walked, he would follow, she knew that without question. And if anyone dared to hurt her, well, she didn't want to know what would happen when Severus got hold of them.

"So, how's Petunia?" Lily asked reluctantly. Not sure if she really wanted to know. Well, she _did_ want to know, she just didn't think she would like what she heard. Her mother sighed.

"She's still enamoured with Vernon" she started.

"Wedding still on?"

"Mmm. For next summer" her mother confirmed.

"She still mad at me and Severus?"

"Unfortunately. I think she was hoping that he'd never find out about magic at all"

"Well, that's just unrealistic. Magic is never going to go away. Or was she just planning on cutting me out of her life completely?" she asked sadly.

"Honestly, Lily? I don't know. She's never liked the fact that you have magic, and she doesn't, and no it's not your fault"

"She won't let me come to the wedding though, will she?"

"I hope she will, Lily" her mother answered, just as sadly.

"Where is she?"

"At Vernon's"

"Hopefully she won't avoid me for the whole summer. I hope she'll at least talk to me" though she wouldn't hold her breath.

"Anyway, do you and Severus have any plans for the summer?" her mother asked, clearly keen to get the conversation away from Petunia and Vernon.

"Apart from the usual homework? Not really. This is our last summer holiday" she said, that fact only now dawning on her. Who knew what next summer would bring. Would they be waiting to start their respective training programmes? Would they be fighting in the War?

"Well, technically you _are_ adults now, Lily" her mother pointed out with some amusement.

"I'm sure we'll find something to do"

"I'm sure you will. Will it all involve books and studying?" her mother teased. Lily laughed.

"Probably" there wasn't a day that went by that books didn't factor in somewhere. "It seems strange not having Severus here" she admitted. He'd spent the last two holidays here with her family.

"You'll see him tomorrow, won't you?" her mother asked.

"Mmm. Yes, we'll talk tomorrow" she smiled. "Mum?"

"Yes, dear"

"Is it ok, if he stays here, sometimes?" she asked tentatively. She'd been worried about asking that, worried her Mum would say 'no' seeing as he could stay at his mother's house this time.

"I don't see why not, he's never any trouble when he's here" her mother answered.

"Thanks, Mum" she replied, breathing a sigh of relief. She wouldn't have to be separated from him every night.

...

Severus was sat in one of the armchairs in the living room, his mother sat in the other. As was the norm for her, she was sitting, staring, seemingly at nothing, hands clutched together in her lap. Severus just watched. He didn't even know how to begin, how to have a conversation with her. She might have been his mother, but she may as well have been a stranger for the level of familiarity he felt. It did not feel like home at all.

"Has the year gone well, Severus?" she finally whispered.

"For the most part, yes" he told her. She nodded, still not looking at him.

"No trouble?"

"Not especially. The Gryffindors have calmed down and the Slytherins too cowardly to attack since two of them have been expelled" he told her calmly, she knew nothing about Mulciber's attack before Christmas, or Rosier's attack on Lily. What reason did he have to tell her?

"Expelled?" she whispered, meeting his eyes then.

"Using Unforgivables" he stated simply.

"Children using Unforgivables?" she asked with a frown.

"There is a War going on mother. Or had you forgotten?" he asked calmly.

"A War?"

"Did you not know?"

"You said there were problems, Severus"

"Mmm. That is putting it mildly" he snorted.

"How bad is it?" she asked.

"Bad enough. Though being at Hogwarts I'm not exactly privy to any information. I only know that the lines have been drawn. Sooner or later, everyone will have to choose a side" he explained.

"The ones that were expelled?"

"Are on the wrong side. The side that will lose" he told her. She nodded slowly, clearly thinking about he'd said.

"The Headmaster?"

"Is on the side that will win"

"And you meet with him still?"

"I do. He will be visiting over the summer. There is work that we must do"

"Oh? For the War?"

"Not necessarily" _definitely,_ but he wasn't admitting that to her.

"You're a child, Severus" she protested.

"Technically, not. I am seventeen now, mother" he said gently. Had she forgotten that?

"Seventeen" she nodded.

"Have you given any more thought to what I said? About getting a new wand?" he asked her, though he thought he knew what she would say.

"I don't feel I belong in that world anymore, Severus" she said sadly. Severus sighed.

"You do, mother. You can be a witch again" he assured her. "But also, I'm afraid for you. Without a wand, you cannot defend yourself"

"Defend myself? From what? Who?" she asked, clearly believing he had uttered something ridiculous.

"This is a time of War, mother. I cannot guarantee you will be left out of this. The Death Eater's still want to add me to their ranks - that will never happen. They may try and use you to get to me" he explained. He couldn't rule that out, who knew what tactics they would try?

"They would do that? Why do they want you though, Severus?" she asked suspiciously.

"They think I have information, because I have private lessons with the Headmaster"

"Are they right?"

"No" he lied. "But that will not stop them from believing they are. They are very dangerous, mother" his mother nodded slowly. "Please, just think about it a little. I could take you to Diagon Alley, I could show you some defensive spells, but once I'm back at Hogwarts there will be little I can do" he added.

"Have you had any more strange dreams?" she asked him.

"No" he replied, lying again. She really didn't want to let that go, did she? She looked at him curiously, trying to decide whether she believed him or not, before eventually nodding and looking away. "I'll be going over to Lily's tomorrow, mother" he told her, changing the subject.

"Are you still together?"

"Yes, we're still together"

"You love her?" she asked him.

"More than anything" he answered sincerely. She looked at him again, actually giving him a small smile.

"She loves you?" she asked.

"She does" he replied, unable to stop himself smiling then. Lily loved him. He still had to keep reminding himself it was real. He loved her, and she loved him just as much, or so it seemed.

"Then, you will look after each other, make each other happy" she said.

"Always" he answered.

"You intend to marry her one day?"

"Yes. When we've finished Hogwarts, or the War is over"

"Have you asked her yet?"

"Not yet" he admitted. He knew they would get married, he just wanted to wait for the perfect time to ask her. And he wanted to talk to her parents first, though he didn't think they would have any objections, they seemed to be ok with Petunia marrying Dursley of all people.

"Do you want children with her?" she asked him cautiously.

"One day, yes" he admitted. He did want that. How could he not? Surely their children would be perfect. Girls, boys, it didn't matter. He would love them just as sure as he loved Lily.

"Don't change, Severus. When you marry, when you have children. Please don't change. Don't become _him_ " she whispered.

"I could never become him, mother. Please don't think that of me" he told her. He hated that part of her expected him to become his father. He hated his father, hated what his father did to him and his mother. There was no way he could hurt Lily. No way at all. It frustrated him that his mother was one of the people he still had to prove himself to. When it came down to it though, he would prove himself. He would be the man Lily needed him to be, for her, for their children. He would be the husband and father Tobias Snape never was. Then his mother, and everyone else that only saw him as a dark Slytherin, as _Snivellus_ , they would all finally see him as he truly was. A good man, fighting for what was right. Fighting to protect the people he loved.

 **A huge 'thank you' to everyone following the story. I do hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.**


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Albus Dumbledore made his way silently down the grimy street of Spinner's End. The sky above was perfectly clear and blue, the air warm on this July day. But today was the day. As promised, he would take Severus with him to retrieve the ring. To say he was nervous was an understatement. He wasn't nervous for Severus, he believed Severus to be an extremely capable young man. A man who, most definitely, was the key to winning the War against Lord Voldemort. A belief that had only been solidified upon hearing the Prophecy made by Sybill Trelawney. Clearly the memories Severus had been receiving were thrusting him into the centre of the growing storm, and giving him the power to vanquish the Dark Lord.

No. Albus Dumbledore was nervous for himself. He was worried that even with Severus by his side, he wouldn't be able to resist the ring. Or more specifically - the stone. He knew exactly what that stone was, the Peverell coat of arms telling him all he needed to know about that. No doubt once he heard the whisperings of his family calling to him from beyond the veil, the lure of their voices was going to be close to impossible to resist.

Albus pushed that thought aside as he reached the house belonging to the Snape's. This wasn't where Severus belonged at all, this wasn't a home. But then, Eileen shouldn't belong here either, staying in this place was surely the poor woman punishing herself for her youthful choices. Things she really needed to let go of and move forward. The death of her husband some months previous should have given her the perfect opportunity to do exactly that. But she had chosen to cling to her mistakes, remaining cloaked in fear, sorrow and loneliness. The Wizarding world clearly a painful reminder of being disowned. No more 'Prince's' left now. Another pureblood family extinct. Not that blood purity mattered, he was a half-blood himself. It was just sad to see the numbers of the magical population declining. Families had fallen apart because members had followed their hearts when it came to marriage, instead of choosing based on magical heritage.

Sighing, Albus knocked gently on the front door. He saw the shadow of someone moving inside the house, the nets at the window obscuring any details. The door cracked open, just a sliver, Eileen Snape's eye peeking cautiously out. The poor woman clearly didn't like visitors.

"Headmaster?" she whispered, obviously shocked to find him on her doorstep.

"Good morning, Eileen" he greeted warmly. "I trust you are well on this fine day?" he asked politely, knowing full well she was not in herself _well_. Eileen gave a small nod as she opened the door a little further.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked him.

"That you, that would be nice" he acknowledged. She nodded again as she stepped aside, making room for him to step passed her into the narrow hallway. Once the door was closed and locked again, she motioned for him to follow her into the living room, taking a seat in one of the armchairs, following her lead, Albus took the other one.

"Severus isn't here" she said quietly.

"He is with Miss Evans?" he asked, though he already knew the answer to that.

"Yes. He spends a lot of time with Lily" she told him.

"She is good for him, don't you think?" he asked, smiling. No doubt she was, she was the only bright spark he'd had in his childhood, his biggest reason for fighting so hard against the darkness.

"Is he good for her?" she questioned.

"Very" he assured her. "As a friend, I do not believe Lily could find one who is as fiercely loyal and protective as Severus" he told her sincerely. Eileen clearly thought the boy was going to turn into his father. He knew better. From the snippets he'd seen in Severus' mind during their Occlumency training, the memories from the 'other Severus'. And from what he'd witnessed of the couple first hand since they arrived at Hogwarts six years ago. They were more than good for each other, they were perfect. Slowly, Eileen nodded, taking in what he'd told her.

"For the moment, I wish to talk to you" he said gently.

"Me? Whatever for?" she frowned.

"There is a War going on. I'm sure it will not be long before it escalates" he told her.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Severus has made himself quite a target for Lord Voldemort's side"

"Severus said they want to recruit him" she said softly.

"That is what they would prefer. They believe he has information he could use against them"

"Does he?" she asked sharply. He doubted Severus had revealed any of the truth to her. It was too dangerous.

"The fact that they _believe_ he does is enough, Eileen" he assured her. Which it was. Belief alone was a huge influencing factor, regardless of whether it was the truth.

"What would you have me do?"

"For a start, I think you should have a new wand, to protect yourself if nothing else" he said gently. Without a wand she would be completely defenceless if the Death Eater's came calling. Though, even with a wand she wouldn't stand much chance, being so far removed from the Wizarding world, for so many years.

"That is what Severus says" she told him. Albus smiled, he really was trying.

"For the moment, I do not believe they know _where_ you are, they so rarely venture into the Muggle world. But if the War escalates, it may be prudent to send you into hiding" he explained.

"Hiding?" she asked with another frown, "Where?"

"There are a number of options. Either staying here with protections - though that option poses the most risk of discovery unless under a Fidelius charm. We could move you to a safe house, to stay with those who could protect you. Or we could move you to Hogsmeade, which would keep you close to myself and Severus" he told her. "If it came down to it, you could stay in one of the guest rooms at Hogwarts itself" though that final option really should be reserved for a _worst case scenario_. Slowly, she nodded.

"When would I need to decide?" she whispered.

"I would suggest you think over the summer, and decide as Severus returns to Hogwarts in September" he told her. That would give her more than a month to weigh up the various options. Slowly, she nodded again. Albus nodded in return, satisfied that he had conveyed all he needed to do in this visit, given her enough information to make a decision.

"In that case, I shall bid you a good day" he said, rising from his chair, heading back to the front door, Eileen following close behind.

"Good day, Headmaster" she whispered as he opened the door.

"Do take care, Eileen" he said with a smile, giving her a small nod as he swept out of the door, hearing it close behind him with a 'click'. With a sad smile, he began the walk down the road, off to find Severus so they could begin today's task. Retrieving the ring.

...

Severus sat, leaning back on the comfortable sofa, a book in his lap. Lily sat cross legged on the sofa next to him, engrossed in a book of her own. Her face had concentration written all over it, eyes staring intently at the page, brow furrowed, biting her bottom lip. It was rather distracting. He tried to keep his attention on his own book, tried to stop staring at her.

A knock at the door made him jump, evidently caught off guard by the noisy intrusion into his thoughts. Lily looked at him as he'd startled, clearly amused by his reaction. Amused by his staring. She knew, damn it. Oh well, she didn't seem to mind. He could only watch as she dashed out the room to answer the door, see who was there.

A minute later, she returned, Dumbledore following close behind her, a small smile on his face.

"Good afternoon, Sir" Severus greeted.

"Good afternoon, Severus. I trust your summer is going well?" he enquired.

"Blissfully uneventful, so far" he admitted. True, they were only two weeks into the summer break, but so far it had been a mixture of days by the river in their favourite spot, time spent reading with Lily, and homework.

"Excellent. Well, I'm not going to drag this out today, we are going to retrieve the ring" he said simply.

"Really?" Severus asked, looking sharply at the Headmaster, putting his book to one side as he stood.

"That is my intention. I believe I know where we can find it, and that is where we shall begin"

"Right" he answered, taking a deep breath. He'd been waiting for this for months. The chance to start acting on these memories, to start gathering the pieces that had been carefully concealed.

"Are you ready, Severus?" the Headmaster asked.

"Yes, Sir" he answered quickly, he was ready.

"When will you be back?" Lily asked quietly, Severus looked at Dumbledore.

"I'm not entirely sure, Miss Evans. This could be completed fairly quickly, or we could find there are obstacles to overcome before we reach our goal" Dumbledore explained. "I will have him returned to you as swiftly as possible"

"No, it's not that, I know he needs to do this" she told him. She was just worried about him. Wanted him back safely. That was more important than how long he was gone. The Headmaster nodded and smiled.

"I will take care of Severus" he assured her, "As I'm sure he will look out for my safety as well" he said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Of course, Sir" he answered, fighting the urge to roll his eyes.

"In that case, we should be off" he said, nodding in Lily's direction before heading for the hallway.

"Good luck, Sev" she said, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him in for a kiss. "Be careful"

"I'll be back as soon as I can" he told her.

"Just come back to me, please. I don't care if it's the middle of the night when you do. Just come and see me when you get back" she told him. Severus nodded, pressing a final quick kiss to her lips before following after Dumbledore. He would come back, he knew that for a fact.

Severus found the Headmaster waiting for him in the hallway, no point in leaving the house to apparate. At least here they were completely hidden from the view of potentially nosy neighbours.

"I will apparate us both to our destination, Severus, seeing as you've not yet visited this particular location" Dumbledore explained.

"Yes, Sir"

"Take my arm" he instructed. Severus grasped the offered arm, keeping a firm hold as he waited for the familiar, uncomfortable sensation to grip him. Within a second, that stomach churning feeling of being compressed and constricted made itself known to him, and he kept his eyes firmly closed for the trip.

A moment later, they were standing on a country lane, blue sky above, just as at home. Severus glanced around curiously, trying to figure out their location. It seemed to be a generic country lane, until he spotted a signpost. One he had seen before - in one direction ' _Great Hangleton, 5 miles',_ the other direction ' _Little Hangleton, 1 mile'._ Ah.

"Sir, are we looking for the Gaunt house?" Severus asked the Headmaster.

"Indeed we are, Severus. I have a sneaking suspicion the ring has been returned to its original home"

"Returning to the scene of the crime" Severus added.

"In a manner of speaking" Dumbledore answered with an amused twinkle in his eyes. "For the most part, this area has remained the same as we saw in Bob Ogden's memory, but naturally, they array of hedgerows have grown considerably. The gap in the hedgerow through to the dirt path has long since over grown. But I believe we will stumble upon it" he explained as they continued their journey, heading in the direction of 'Little Hangleton', just as Bob Ogden had done. As Dumbledore had said, the hedgerows were much wilder than they'd seen in the memory, and much thicker, and most likely had a wider range of birds and animals making their homes within the thick foliage.

The lane curved around, just as he remembered, catching sight of Little Hangleton nestled in the valley - though this village too, was now larger, had spread out in the space between the steep hills. The lane sloped down now, at a much steeper angle, Severus and the Headmaster's speed increasing thanks to gravity. After a couple of minutes they forced themselves to stop, in the memory, Bob Ogden had suddenly disappeared through the smallest of gaps, one which was easy to overlook even then. Now, it wouldn't exist.

"So, how do we know where to get through?" Severus asked. Maybe Dumbledore knew some kind of spell to reveal the path. Or maybe they were randomly going to poke holes through the hedge, hoping for a lucky guess.

"We know the dirt track is somewhere close, based on where Mr Ogden vanished through the hedge"

"Will the track even still be there?" Severus asked, everything else was so wild now, for all they knew the track had been covered over by grass or nettles, or brambles, all of those grew in abundance around here. They could be stumbling around for days looking for something that might not even exist anymore.

Severus watched as the Headmaster peered closely at the dense hedgerow, prodding with his wand at the undergrowth.

"I believe, we will find it somewhere around here" he told him, pointing at a particular patch of nettles. "The hedgerow is slightly thinner here, not yet as densely woven as in other area" he explained. Severus moved closer, he couldn't see any difference, but then he'd never really paid much attention to gardening at home. Severus watched as Dumbledore made slicing motions with his wand, branches fell to the ground, revealing the inner structures of the hedge.

"Hmm. Yes, I believe this is the right place" Dumbledore said as he peered through the gap he'd created. Severus peeked through, indeed seeing what appeared to be a dirt track, thin and in disrepair, the nettles growing in on the edges. It wouldn't be long before it completely covered over.

Severus joined Dumbledore in casting a non-verbal _Diffindo,_ using their wands to keep cutting through the branches, enlarging the hole until it was big enough for them to squeeze through.

Once on the track, they had to walk single file thanks to the surrounding shrubbery, the height of the growth keeping the path dark and in shadows - not entirely unwelcome on a hot day.

"Can you feel it, Severus?" the Headmaster asked him, stopping in his steps.

"Sir?"

"There is old magic, in the air. I do believe it is close now" he told him, before continuing along the path, his wand firmly in his hand. Severus followed, tightening his grip of his own wand.

Soon, the hedgerows became trees, the sky almost completely obscured now. Severus glanced around cautiously. Then, he spotted it. The house. Almost invisible now among the wild tangle of branches and nettles, the mossy walls providing a nearly perfect camouflage.Severus shivered, and it wasn't purely down to the heavy shadows. There was a _feeling_ , he couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something here. And it was evil.

"So, we need to go inside" Severus stated. It was definitely in there.

"Indeed. I do not know if there will be any 'tests' for us. Or whether it will be easy to locate. He may not have hidden it particularly well - not expecting anyone to discover his secret, or perhaps believing the curse to be enough protection" he explained.

"And when we find it? Are we destroying it? Or taking it Hogwarts for safe keeping?" Severus asked, no doubt they needed to destroy it, but when? And if it was kept hidden, would it be too tempting for Dumbledore to resist? After a moment, the Headmaster answered.

"We need to destroy it, as soon as possible"

"Will he know?" If we destroy a piece of his soul?" Severus thought if he could feel it, it would prove quite the problem in their quest - alerting him that _someone_ knew.

"I do not believe so, Severus. I'm sure if he had just split his soul once it would be more of a possibility. But we have no idea how many times he has carried out this process, his soul is so mangled I doubt he can feel anything" he explained. Severus nodded, and hoped Dumbledore was right, that he'd torn his soul into so many pieces, he was unable to feel it when one was lost. Which brought them back to another disturbing question - how many more pieces did they have to find? They still didn't have an answer on that. They could spend a lifetime tracking all the shreds of him down.

"How are we going to destroy it, Sir?" he asked. They didn't have the sword of Gryffindor, and as a Slytherin it wasn't likely to present itself to him. There had to be other ways of destroying it. Basilisk venom? He'd seen the Diary destroyed that way, but in all honesty, he had no desire to find his way to the Chamber of Secrets and take on the Basilisk they knew was making its home there, to get hold of its fangs.

"In this instance, I believe we shall try Fiendfyre to start with" the Headmaster said with a smile.

"Fiendfyre" he repeated. Enchanted flames. Extremely dark magic, should probably do it. Severus nodded slowly.

"Do not worry, Severus. I am quite capable" he said. Severus shot him a pointed look, before conceding. It was probably better the Headmaster do this, especially being out of sight here, they should be able to contain the fire somehow, though they should probably find a rocky clearing first. He didn't think burning down half the countryside would be a particularly wise move.

Dumbledore stepped towards the house, well shack was a more accurate description really. The two worked alongside each other, Severus working on removing the nettles and weeds obscuring the front door so they could get inside, Dumbledore muttering softly, assessing and removing the wards in place around the area.

Finally, the way was clear, the door was cleared, they could go inside. And although the main protective wards had been removed, there was still something inside, they could feel it. It wanted them to come into the house.

Dumbledore pushed open the door and took a step inside, Severus followed close behind, wand raised and ready as they made their way into what remained of the living room-come-kitchen. It was even more of a hovel than they'd seen in Bob Ogden's memory - the whole place was thick with dust, the stove filthy with, well, whatever remained. The chairs were just a mass of grey, filth, dust and dirt. And a stench in the air. Dead rodents, and dead snakes no doubt. The Gaunt's were obviously proud of their link to Slytherin himself and used their skill in Parseltongue to draw snakes to them, prizing those animals above all others. Just another level to their insanity, but then generations of inbreeding will do that to a mind. The whole focus on blood purity was ridiculous, all these families continually marrying their cousins, it was no wonder the Death Eater's were a bunch of murderous lunatics. Not for the first time in the last year, he wondered why he had been so drawn to them. How could he have been so blinded?

The two walked slowly around the small room, the only light coming from their lit wands, the windows completely black with grime, though even if they'd been clean the trees would have blocked any sunlight. Severus winced as the floorboard creaked, a feeling of unease as he stepped back. There was something there. His heart rate sped up as he stepped back onto the loose board. That same feeling.

"Sir, I think it's under the floorboard" he whispered. He was certain of it. Dumbledore stepped towards him, as he stepped back off the board.

"This one?" Dumbledore asked, pointing at the uneven gap.

"This one" he nodded "I can feel it, there's something hidden" he told him.

"Whatever happens, do not let me put on the ring" Dumbledore warned him. Severus nodded. The floorboard wasn't fastened down, and was easily levitated up, away from the others. Severus knelt on the floor, aiming his lit wand into the gap, looking for a small box, or something that the ring could be hidden inside. He could feel it closer now, he could almost hear it. Hear the whisper of someone, something, beckoning him closer. He looked at the Headmaster, he seemed to be lost in thought.

"It is down there, isn't it?" Severus whispered.

"Most certainly. Can you hear it calling?"

"The whispers?" he asked.

"Do not listen" he said firmly.

Just then, Severus caught a glint of something as he peered back through the gap.

"I think I see it" he said, he was sure it was the ring, not even properly concealed, just cast in the dirt beneath. Dumbledore removed a small box from his robes and handed it to Severus.

"I am going to retrieve the ring, place it straight into the box. Snap it shut, as soon as it's inside" he instructed. Severus nodded, taking the box from him, holding it open while trying to keep his wand shining light on the area.

Slowly, the ring inched forwards, before gradually levitating into the air, twirling slowly as it made its ascent. The ring really was an ugly thing, heavy yellow gold making the ring itself, the shank a large projection, heavy black stone set in its grip. Severus could only faintly hear the whisper, it wasn't enticing in the slightest. It reminded him of his father for some reason, and he wanted it as far away as possible.

He looked up at Dumbledore then, the Headmaster looked far away, as if lost in a daydream.

"Sir?" he asked when the Headmaster stopped his actions.

"I wonder..." he trailed off, his voice a whisper.

"Put the ring in the box, Dumbledore" Severus said calmly. Dumbledore slowly lifted his hand "Sir!"

"So sad, the voices. If I could just..." he whispered, reaching towards the twirling ring.

"Sir!" Severus shouted, the Headmasters hand kept reaching. Severus cast a stinging hex at him, trying to get the Headmasters attention. Dumbledore's hand retracted sharply as a red welt appeared on the back of his wrist. Clearly startled, the ring dropped to the floor with a thud, lying ominously still. Both staring at it.

"Sir, leave the ring alone" Severus warned, speaking calmly. Dumbledore glanced at him, an almost guilty expression, like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He reached for the ring again. "Sir!" Severus said more firmly. "It is cursed, remember!" he snapped.

"They are calling, Severus" Dumbledore whispered.

"Ignore the voices, Sir" he told him. Dumbledore reached his hand out again. Severus quickly levitated the ring himself, guiding it swiftly into the box, snapping it firmly shut. Dumbledore let out a heavy breath. The voices had stopped, there was nothing calling to the Headmaster at this moment. He could still feel the heavy presence in the box he held, but for now they were ok.

"Thank you, Severus" Dumbledore whispered. "I enchanted the box, to automatically seal itself once closed, and to prevent any sound escaping"

"Block the voices? You knew what would happen, didn't you?" Severus asked. Dumbledore nodded. "What is the stone, Sir? It's not just a piece of _him_ , is it?"

"No. I knew about the stone. But that, is a story for another day. For the moment, we need to focus on destroying the ring, as quickly as possible" he told him. Severus agreed, stories could wait until later, or even another day as Dumbledore suggested.

The two men made their way back out, away from the depressing hovel to find an appropriate place. Somewhere to destroy a piece of the Dark Lord.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Severus followed the Headmaster out of the dark shack, eager to get away from the smell of decay and back into the fresh air. The first part of their job was done, they had the ring in their possession. Severus Snape held a piece of the Dark Lord's soul firmly in his hands. Well, in a magically sealed box in his hands.

Severus had, so far, been able to stop Dumbledore putting on the cursed ring - though he had kept reaching for it, with a look of longing on his face. Obviously the voices Dumbledore heard were whispering something different to the one he heard himself. Though, for that, he was grateful. He didn't have to worry about succumbing to it himself, only to keep a close eye on the Headmaster and stop him making a deadly mistake.

Once outside, the Headmaster began pacing the small clearing, deliberating on the next step. Dumbledore had said they needed to use Fiendfyre to destroy it, but in a densely wooded area, that wasn't necessarily the best choice. If Dumbledore couldn't control the magical flames, then so easily, the long grass and hedgerows could catch alight. A fire of that scale would be reported, the location - if Voldemort investigated a fire here, he would know it was an enchanted flame, one summoned specifically for destruction.

"Sir, are you sure we should destroy it here?" Severus finally asked "If something goes wrong -" he trailed off mid sentence. Dumbledore looked at him, sighing as his features softened. "I think we should take it back to Hogwarts" he added.

"It is not wise to keep this any longer than is absolutely necessary, Severus" Dumbledore said.

"I'm not suggesting we keep it, Sir. Only that we find somewhere more suitable to destroy it. I just think using powerful magic here could alert Him" he explained. What if he had a warning system set up? Though, maybe Dumbledore disturbing the wards could alert him - but he would have come by now if that was the case. No, if they had got into the house and got the ring out undetected, they should get far away from here with it while they still could.

"Perhaps you are right" Dumbledore finally agreed.

"What about by the Black Lake?" Severus asked. Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "The shore is rather rocky, it isn't going to go up in flames accidentally" he reasoned. "Plus, there's no one at Hogwarts right now" this was the perfect time to do it, no students, no teachers, no trespassers.

"That should do, I think" the Headmaster conceded. Severus nodded, relief that they were getting away from this place. "Very well, we shall apparate to the gates, Severus. See you in a moment" Dumbledore told him before silently disapparating. Severus followed almost instantly, though disapparating with the usual 'crack'.

A second later his eyes opened to the familiar sight of the Hogwarts gates. His first time seeing the grounds in the middle of summer. They were back in the full sun now, the sky clear and blue. It was late in the afternoon now, heading towards evening, but it was still bright and hot.

The Headmaster led them through the gates, leading the way off the path, down towards the lake. Severus was surprised when Dumbledore began the walk around to the far side of the lake, he'd assumed they'd settle for whichever rocky part of the short they came to first. The lake was fairly large and the walk was not a short one, by the time Dumbledore stopped, Severus was feeling hotter and dirtier than he had in a long time.

"This spot should do" Dumbledore told him "Far away from areas students usually venture - in case of any lingering effects" he added. Severus nodded, and watched as Dumbledore moved rocks and boulders with his wand, making a kind of breaker with them, a shelter for the ring. "Place the box on the ground, Severus, just in front of the wall" he instructed. Severus nodded, placing the locked box down, reluctantly stepping away, still worried the Headmaster would attempt to get the ring. He couldn't hear the voices at the moment, but he _knew_ what was inside. With something that powerful, it was not a case of _'out of sight, out of mind'_. Severus didn't know how successfully he'd be able to intervene if Dumbledore succumbed.

Severus made his way to stand alongside the Headmaster, glancing at him cautiously, both with their wands firmly in their hands. Severus waiting for the next instruction.

"On three, Severus, you will unlock the box, at the same time, I will call upon the Fiendfyre"

"Are we far enough away, Sir?" he asked nervously, they were around twenty feet away, he hoped that was enough. Dumbledore moved so he was a few paces in front of Severus, obviously wanting to keep him behind the fire that would soon be raging.

"We are. On three?"

"On three" Severus agreed, raising his wand, his heart hammering in his chest.

"One...two...three..."

" _Cistem Aperio_ " Severus instructed. The box clicked open at the same time as the flame leapt from Dumbledore's wand, hot and powerful, and seeming to have a life of its own. Severus could hear the faint whispering of the ring, or stone, or whatever it was, protesting as the flames engulfed the ring, the box, the stones that surrounded it. Dumbledore was trying to keep his focus, using all his control to command the enchanted flames. Severus crouched down, wanting to back away from the fire.

Then suddenly, the ring screamed. A piercing shriek that shot through his brain, Severus covered his ears, squeezing his eyes shut as tightly as could. But he still felt the scream in his mind. It wanted to fight back, but the fierce fires overcame it. The Fiendfyre won, Severus opened his eyes as the screaming faded, a thin black fog evaporating on the gentle summer breeze. The screaming stopped. And Dumbledore dismissed the magical fire, keeping control and ending it as masterfully as he had started it.

Severus cautiously approached the little stone wall, glancing at the blackened rocks and pebbles, looking for something that resembled the remains of the box and the ring. The box had been destroyed, melting in the intensity of the flames. Sat on that molten, shimmering puddle was a badly misshapen ring - it hadn't melted, though it really should have in that heat, the evil magic it had been filled with had obviously granted it some level of protection.

The ring was no longer gold though, it was now black, and twisted, and the stone that was set in its hideous claws was cracked. Whatever had lived inside was now dead. A piece of the Dark Lord's soul had been destroyed. Severus exhaled heavily, a small smile catching him as he picked up the battered ring. The curse now broken, it was safe to handle. It couldn't harm anymore.

Severus turned to Dumbledore, holding the ring out to him in his outstretched palm.

"It would seem we were successful, Dumbledore" Severus smiled.

"Indeed we were" Dumbledore smiled in return. Severus almost laughed at the relief he felt. The dreams, the memories had been right. They had found and destroyed the first piece, they would keep working to find and destroy the others. They could win. Dumbledore removed the ring from Severus' hand, staring at it curiously.

"So, what was the stone, Sir?" he asked.

"As I said, a story for another day. Though, if you'd care for some light reading material, I can highly recommend 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard'" he smiled.

"The children's stories?" he frowned.

"Children's stories can be an unlikely hiding place for the truth" he told him, eyes twinkling. "I shall walk you back to the gates, Severus. I'm sure Miss Evans is keen to have you safely returned, and to hear of your adventures" he said. _Very clever, old man_. Using Lily to avoid discussing things further. Of course he wanted to fill Lily in on the events. Oh well, if he had to play. Severus merely nodded, hot and tired, and for now, content with today's accomplishments.

The two walked in a comfortable silence, both thinking through what had happened. But Severus was more than happy to make his way back to the gates, happy to disapparate away. Back home. To Lily.

...

The day seemed to pass so slowly for Lily, The Headmaster had come to collect Severus shortly after lunch, on a day they were actually alone in the house - though they'd spent what little time they'd had together reading. Her mother and Petunia had gone shopping, Petunia had tried to insist that Lily come too. Not because she wanted to spend time with her sister. No. She wanted to make sure 'that Snape boy' didn't get any ideas. Her mother had simply rolled her eyes and dragged Petunia away, no doubt she would calm down once she was looking at shoes or something equally pointless.

Having Severus depart so suddenly had left her feeling at a loose end. She tried to continue her homework, but the distraction of _knowing_ the reason for his departure was just too much. She tried to read something else, pointless fiction, gossipy magazines. Everything had her huffing in frustration as time ticked on so tediously. She wished she could have gone with them, if it was dangerous, surely another pair of eyes and another wand would come in handy. Though not necessarily the best idea. She knew she would act too emotionally if danger presented itself. Her emotions would take charge where Severus was concerned, and none of them could guarantee she would listen and follow orders. Severus had been hurt before because she didn't listen. She was too much of a risk. And too much of a distraction to Severus if 'she' was in danger, he needed to keep a clear head and think logically. Much as she hated to admit it, he could fight better without her nearby. She sighed in exasperation again.

Lily looked at the clock again, he'd not even been gone two hours yet. She groaned in frustration, wondering what they were currently doing. Had they found the ring? Removed it? Or was it so well hidden, so well protected that they didn't stand a chance. He'd told her that the ring was cursed, what if the curse affected both of them? Lily turned her attention to housework. The Muggle way. Not that anything needed doing, her mother had always been extremely house proud. But she needed to do _something_.

Shortly after 4pm, her mother and Petunia returned from the trip out. By this time, Lily had resorted to sorting out her clothes. Going through drawers and wardrobes, chucking out the things she no longer wanted. It was surprising really, the amount of Muggle clothing seemed to be dwindling with each year at Hogwarts. How would it be once she left completely? Would she live entirely in the Wizarding world, where she wouldn't need Muggle things? Or would part of her still cling to things that reminded her of her childhood? Of home.

Lily jumped as the bedroom door burst open suddenly. Petunia frowned, glaring around the bedroom.

"What?" Lily snapped at her.

"Where is he, then?" Petunia asked in annoyance, hands on hips.

"Severus? He's not here, so you can stop snooping" Lily told her nosy sister.

"Not here? Why ever not?"

"He had to go. Private lessons with Dumbledore"

"Oh? What kind of lessons? Remedial work? Is he that behind?" she asked cruelly, smirking.

"Hardly. He's only about the most intelligent one in the whole school. If anything, this is advanced work" Lily snapped back at her. She really didn't want to start getting in to a debate with Petunia about Severus. Petunia snorted. Taking a final glance around the room, checking he wasn't hiding somewhere, before turning on her heel, leaving Lily to continue her sorting, stomping off back down the stairs.

Before long, her mother was calling her down for dinner and there had been no word from Severus. Almost five hours he'd been gone now. Lily sat at the table silently, barely touching the plate of food in front of her, poking at it with her fork more than anything else.

"Lily, are you alright, dear?" her mother asked gently.

"Hmm? Oh, um, yes, fine" she said, not very convincingly as looked up at her mother.

"Are you sure? You and Severus didn't have a fight, did you?" she asked her. Petunia snorted, obviously hoping they had.

"No, of course not" Lily answered. "The Headmaster came to fetch him, hours ago. I thought he'd be back by now"

"He said he was coming back?"

"I told him to come and see me when they were done. Let me know how it went" Lily explained.

"He's only gone for a lesson, Lily. You know everything will be fine" her mother said with a smile. Her mother didn't know what he'd gone with the Headmaster to do. No one did except her.

"You think about that boy entirely too much" Petunia suddenly declared "It's not healthy" she added.

"And you'd know, would you?" Lily snapped.

"You're always moping about without him, it's disgusting" Petunia spat.

"And you're always going on about that fat walrus!" Lily snapped. Petunia's face almost turned purple with rage.

"Vernon, is a perfectly decent, and respectable man" she ground out slowly, through gritted teeth "Vernon, is going to make something of himself. Unlike that dirty limpet of yours!" she spat venomously.

"Petunia!" her father warned. Lily tried to blink back the angry tears.

"You don't know Severus at all!" Lily shouted "And you have no idea what's going on in our world! No idea what Severus is capable of!" she told them. Potentially the entire War was resting on Severus' shoulders. And she couldn't tell them that, couldn't tell them anything about Severus. Or the Prophecy. Or what he was doing with Dumbledore. Everything had to be done in total secrecy, or the level of danger would rocket.

"What are you talking about, Lily?" her mother asked quietly.

"You know about the War, Mum" Lily said, "He wants to fight in it" she told them.

"But he's still at school" her mother said sadly. "They wouldn't let him fight _now_ , would they?" Lily shook her head the smallest amount.

"Not just yet, no. But we've only got one more year left at school. Then..." she trailed off.

"You said the 'other side' wanted to recruit him" her mother said. Lily nodded. "This work with the Headmaster -" Lily met her eyes, "What exactly are they doing?"

"I don't know, exactly" she said honestly. "For the most part, Dumbledore is preparing him, given how much interest there is in him from the other side"

"No wonder you're worried about him, then" her mother added. Lily nodded, turning her attention back to the plate of food, stabbing half-heartedly at a potato. But she couldn't bring herself to eat anything more. Her family finished their meals in silence. No one seemed sure exactly what to talk about after that. Petunia attempted to talk to her parents - discussion about how hot the summer had been so far, and ' _really, she should have bought some more sandals',_ and _'boyfriend or not, Lily really should make more effort to update her wardrobe'._ It was tiresome.

Eventually, Petunia had had enough, and huffed herself away from the table, off to sulk in her room. Her parents left for the living room, off to relax in front of the of the television. And Lily, still sat at the table. Just when she thought she was about to doze off sitting upright, a loud 'crack' in the hallway startled her.

"Severus?" she called out, dashing from the chair, almost tripping over it in the process.

"Lily?" he called back.

"Severus!" she exclaimed happily, seeing him there in the hallway, smile on his face. She gathered it went well. She virtually launched herself into his arms, throwing her arms around his neck tightly. She didn't want to let him go. There had obviously been a few trials along the way, he smelled like dirt, and sweat, and bonfires, and the heat was still radiating off him.

Gently, he pulled her away, his hands still grasping her waist as hers slid to his shoulders. His smile and eyes were warm as he looked down at her. He looked happy, as he leaned forwards to kiss her gently.

"It all went well?" she whispered.

"Perfect. Mission accomplished" he grinned. She beamed back at him broadly. Was there anything he couldn't do? Probably not.

"And you're ok?" she asked him.

"I'm fine. It took a while, but everything went just about perfectly. We destroyed it. One down" he said, trying to keep his excitement under control.

"I'm so proud of you" she whispered. And she was proud. Proud he was using his knowledge to make a difference, for the right reasons. Not for glory. Not for attention. But because it was the right thing to do. He looked away sheepishly, not used to the praise.

"Thank you" he whispered as he met her eyes again.

"Are you staying?" she asked him. Severus sighed.

"Not tonight. I really should go and see my mother. Dumbledore recommended a book to me, I'm sure she has a copy of it somewhere. And after a day rummaging in a filthy old shack, I really could do with a long, hot shower" he told her. She nodded sadly. He could probably do with a good night's sleep too, he looked exhausted. "I'll tell you all the details tomorrow" he assured her. Lily nodded, reaching to stroke his cheek gently.

"All right" she said softly, tip toeing to kiss him again. She really was never going to get tired of that.

"Oh, sorry you two" her mother's voice suddenly interrupted. "Everything ok, Severus dear?" she asked him.

"Yes, Mrs Evans, everything's fine" he assured her with a smile. "Though, I really should be going" he told them both.

"So soon, dear?"

"Yes, Mrs Evans. It's been rather a long day, and I still have a couple of things to do. I'll see you tomorrow, Lily" he said, kissing her one last time before heading out the front door. Choosing to walk home rather than apparate, his mother probably wouldn't like that too much.

Lily faced her mother with a wide grin.

"I take it whatever he was doing today, went well?" her mother asked with some amusement.

"It did" she grinned "Now, I think I'm going to head to bed. Goodnight, Mum"

"Goodnight, Lily. Sleep well" Lily nodded, heading up the stairs to her room. Now she knew Severus had succeeded, had found and destroyed a piece of Voldemort's soul, and had returned safely, the War against You-Know-Who had definitely started - and he had no idea whatsoever. All traces of anxiety left her body and her mind. She knew that sleep would find her easily tonight, and normality for her and Severus, would resume in the morning.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

"Quickly, Our Lord is waiting, and he does _not_ like being kept waiting" Lucius Malfoy snapped, glaring at the man standing in front of him.

"Oh, I think Our Lord will be most pleased with what I have for him this evening, Malfoy" the man replied with narrowed eyes.

"I'm sure _He_ will be the judge of that, Rookwood" Lucius replied, torn between the desire to see the Dark Lord punish the man as a warning - the information he'd uncovered so far had been less than impressive - and a hope that, for once, the man had brought them something useful. "Follow me" he instructed, turning on his heel and heading for one of the more luxurious reception rooms - not that any room truly lacked luxury.

"Dobby" he called as they walked down the corridor. A tiny house-elf appeared with a soft 'pop'.

"Master?" the elf said, with a low, grovelling bow.

"Drinks for our guests, Dobby. And quickly" he hissed, kicking out at the repulsive being.

"Right away, Master" he whimpered, disappearing just as quickly as he'd arrived.

Lucius led the way, striding confidently towards the opulent, almost throne-like chair the Dark Lord had chosen for his seat.

"My Lord" Lucius spoke reverently, dropping to his knee before their Master, pressing a kiss to the hem of the Dark Lord's long, black robes.

"Lucius" he acknowledged, his voice calm and dangerous, "Bring him to me" he ordered. Lucius bowed his head, standing, turning towards the doorway.

"Rookwood" he said, inclining his head towards their Master. Augustus Rookwood made his way towards the chair, kneeling and kissing the hem of the Dark Lord's robes, just as Lucius himself had done.

"My Lord" Rookwood whispered.

"Augustus. You. Are. Late" the Dark Lord whispered softly, pausing heavily between each word. Letting them both know this was not acceptable.

"My apologies, My Lord. I was delayed, in the Hall of Prophecy" he spoke quietly, not taking his eyes of their Master's hem.

"I hope this is relevant, Augustus" the Dark Lord said softly. When the Dark Lord's voice took this tone, it was usually more dangerous than when he was screaming in fury.

"My Lord, a Prophecy has appeared, with your name on the label" Rookwood whispered. A soft 'pop' in the room and the ridiculous house-elf appeared, a tray of drinks balanced carefully in front of him.

"A Prophecy?" the Dark Lord asked curiously, what remained of his eyebrow arching slightly as he sat more upright in his chair. "What is the nature of this Prophecy?" he asked calmly.

"I do not know, my Lord" Rookwood acknowledged reluctantly. _Oh dear._ Incomplete information was almost as useless as no information.

"You do not know" the Dark Lord stated calmly. "This is unacceptable, Augustus. Surely you are aware, I need _complete_ information. Yes?" he asked dangerously.

"Y-yes, my Lord" he stammered.

"What _do_ you know?" the Dark Lord asked.

"The Prophecy was made in June, my Lord" Rookwood began, "The label states it was made by one 'S.P.T', and spoken to 'A.P.W.B.D.'"

"Ah" the Dark Lord said with a smug smile, "What exactly was dear Dumbledore been told, I wonder"

"He was not the only it was spoken in front of" Rookwood added.

"Who else?" their Master asked curiously.

"'S.S.' and 'L.E.'" Rookwood said. Lucius' eyes widened.

"Indeed. And who, might they be?"

"I do not know, my Lord" Rookwood told him quietly.

"And you, Lucius? Have you any ideas?" the Dark Lord asked.

"I believe so, my Lord. Severus Snape and Lily Evans" Lucius whispered. It had to be them, he'd been trying to talk Snape back around for the last year.

"Ah yes, dear Severus" the Dark Lord whispered, "You assured me the boy showed great promise, Lucius"

"Yes, my Lord. He did"

"But right on the brink of declaring himself to me, he was distracted by a Mudblood" the Dark Lord spat. "You told me that Dumbledore had taken a keen interest in the boy - apparently seeing his uses, as you did. Now, a Prophecy has been uttered in his presence" the Dark Lord said, rising from the throne-like chair now, stalking slowly around the room. Lucius did not answer from where he stood, Dobby still beside him with the tray of drinks, Rookwood still kneeling, not daring to stand without instruction.

"I must know what the Prophecy states, Augustus" the Dark Lord warned him. Rookwood nodded dutifully. "Do you know anything else?" he asked.

"No, my Lord" he answered, shaking his head. "You were the only one named, no others" he added.

"Surely it must be hailing your victory, my Lord?" Lucius suggested. It had to be really, with no one else mentioned.

"I should hope so" the Dark Lord whispered, "There is no one to challenge my power. It is... absolute" he told them. "I want that Prophecy retrieved, Augustus" he told the kneeling man. "You will bring it to me"

"My Lord" he protested, "I am not named, I will not be able to touch it" he told their Master.

"How disappointing" he replied with a sniff, "You can think of no one who can retrieve it?"

"There is only one who can, apart from yourself"

"I can hardly go for a stroll in the Department of Mysteries, Augustus" the Dark Lord laughed dangerously. Lucius swallowed nervously, if Rookwood wasn't careful he wasn't leaving the room alive. "So, who is the other?"

"The Keeper of Prophecies. He or she is able to retrieve it" he told him.

"Ah, excellent" the Dark Lord said slowly. "Then you will find the Keeper, and bring the Prophecy to me" he instructed.

"I do not know the identity of the Prophecy Keeper, my Lord. No one does. It is the highest level of secrecy in the Unspeakables" he whispered.

"Then you will uncover the secrets" the Dark Lord whispered menacingly. " _Crucio!"_ he cried, aiming his wand at the Ministry spy. Rookwood fell, sprawled on the floor, an agonised scream falling from his lips. Lucius flinched, involuntarily, he still wasn't accustomed to witnessing such punishments, but at least it wasn't aimed at him.

Rookwood lay panting as the Dark Lord released him from the torture.

"That, is a small taste of what would happen, should you fail. A _very_ small taste" he said in warning.

"I will not fail you, my Lord" Rookwood whispered, still bringing his breathing under control.

"Go. Now" the Dark Lord told him. Rookwood nodded, shakily getting to his feet, leaving the room without a backward glance. "Lucius?"

"My Lord?" he asked nervously.

"Perhaps another visit should be made. See if you can _persuade_ Severus to join our cause, or to reveal the Prophecy"

"Yes, my Lord" he answered quickly. That would be a futile attempt. Snape wasn't joining the Dark Lord because of the girl, removing her from the equation wouldn't work, that would only serve to annoy him and alienate him further. And he truly doubted he would be willing to reveal the Prophecy - if it outlined the Dark Lord's victory, he wouldn't want to give them more confidence. If it predicted the Dark Lord's end, then...well, he didn't want to think about that possibility, he'd already taken his side in this War.

"Give my regards to dear Narcissa, won't you, Lucius?" the Dark Lord said.

"My Lord" Lucius replied, bowing his head respectfully.

"I have matters to discuss with Bellatrix and her husband. I shall meet with you again shortly"

"Of course, my Lord" he replied. With that, the Dark Lord swept silently from the room, leaving Lucius to contemplate the evening's information.

"Dobby has drinks, Master" the elf squeaked.

"Do shut up, Dobby!" Lucius snapped, kicking out at the annoying elf once again.

...

Severus sat at the small kitchen table, sipping his tea cautiously.

"Good morning, Severus" his mother said quietly, taking the other seat cautiously.

"Good morning, mother" he replied, pleasantly surprised yet again. In the month since he and Dumbledore had retrieved and destroyed the ring, his mother had started to become slightly more approachable. She wasn't exactly warm and open, but she at least shared a conversation with him more easily these days. She didn't recoil from him any longer, didn't look at him like he was a snake poised to strike.

"I found the book you asked me about" she said quietly.

"Oh?" he'd wanted to look for the book immediately, wanted to see what Dumbledore could be referring to. He wished he'd just come out and tell him, but the Headmaster didn't really seem to work that way. His mother had insisted that she would track down the book herself, one of her childhood possessions that she'd carefully concealed from her husband for a number of years.

"It was up in the loft, as I expected" she told him, placing a small, hard back book on the table beside him.

"Thank you, mother" he told her sincerely. His mother nodded, attempting a small smile.

"Why did you need it, anyway?" she asked. She hadn't asked him that so far. "Are you wanting to show Lily?" she asked. Ah. Subtle. He shook his head, forcing away a smile.

"I _do_ want to show her, but not for the reasons you're thinking, mother" he told her. "The Headmaster recommended it, actually"

"Are you sure this is the book he meant?" she asked him curiously.

"I did double-check at the time. I don't know why he suggested it though"

"I used to tell you these stories, when you were very small" she whispered "Do you remember?"

"I remember you would tell me stories, but I don't remember what they were about" he admitted. Did the details really matter? He remembered his mother was different when he was small, more like he imagined a mother _should_ be. Like Mrs Evans was. She'd become more and more distant, more withdrawn as the years rolled on. Until she no longer tried. No longer made any attempts to connect with her son. Or anyone. _He_ had made sure of that.

A tapping at the window drew their attention, a brown owl waiting. A Hogwarts owl by the look of it. Severus quickly moved to the window to retrieve the letter it carried. Yep, definitely Hogwarts, new supply list. Brilliant. Severus sat back at the table, frowning as he looked over the list of books. The last supply list. The last year at Hogwarts, That was a scary thought. Things were going to change drastically over the coming months, the secret offensive had already begun, but they still had no idea how much was left to do. And it had been months since the last memory.

"Everything ok, Severus?" his mother asked.

"Yes, it's fine. I shall need to go to Diagon Alley" he muttered as he kept his eyes on the list.

"I shall give you some money to change" she told him.

"Why don't you come with us?" he asked, glancing up at her then.

"I'm still not sure about that, Severus"

"I could apparate you" he told her, "You could go to Ollivander's, choose a new wand" he suggested. They were running out of time to do that. Only a couple of weeks until he was back at school. Then she would be left alone, defenceless if...

"Not this time, Severus. I'm just not ready" she told him sadly, staring at a scratch on the table. He looked her over carefully. Maybe she wasn't ready yet, despite the progress she'd made in the last few weeks. Slowly, he nodded.

"Very well. I will go with Lily, then. She will need far more than I" he told her with a smile. Lily always seemed to need so much, but then she didn't have any magical relations passing down their text books to her. His mother nodded, looking relieved, no doubt because he hadn't pressed the issue with her.

"When will you go?"

"Perhaps tomorrow. I'm staying at Lily's tonight, so maybe we'll go first thing in the morning" that was a sensible plan. They could apparate in early and get what they needed, he knew Lily would want to shop _properly_ but it just wasn't sensible. They had no idea who else might be paying a trip to the Alley. Who would be there looking for him. He was sure Malfoy was keeping an ear open for any news. Living in the Muggle world was definitely an advantage when trying to hide from Wizards, especially pureblood idiots with superiority complexes. They wouldn't lower themselves to traipsing around an area like this in search of him.

Severus quickly finished his tea, packing a bag to take with him to Lily's - fresh clothes for tomorrow, a couple of books - including the one his mother had just given him. He really wanted to go through that with Lily, have her look for clues alongside him. Why Dumbledore would suggest children's stories as a place to look for information was beyond him. But then so were a fair few things he said, only making sense later on, when something else happened. This was probably one of those things.

"I'm off then, mother" he told her as he approached the table again.

"Money, for school things" she told him, handing over a sealed envelope.

"You're sure, mother?" he questioned.

"Yes, Severus" she told him, almost rolling her eyes at him. His mouth twitched slightly, he'd definitely inherited some of her mannerisms - along with her dark hair and eyes - he just hadn't seen most of them for so long. "Behave yourself at the Evans', won't you?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I always do, mother" he told her. What kind of misbehaviour did she think they were going to get up to? More often than not they were reading and doing their homework. "I'll see you tomorrow" he told her as he headed for the door. Only pausing briefly as he opened the door, catching sight of her smirking. Severus shook his head, rolling his eyes as he left. _Bloody parents._

...

Lily sat at the kitchen table, re-reading her finished Charms essay, making sure it was now completed to her satisfaction, eager to put it to one side and no longer think about homework. Petunia had already left for work, still working weekends in a local cafe, and still complaining that Lily didn't have a job, and neither did _'that Snape boy'_ , and _'what a hideous pair of layabouts they were going to be, no doubt breeding like cockroaches as scum were wont to do',_ and on and on with other ridiculous venomous statements. Evil just seemed to slip from her lips so naturally. If Petunia had been magical, she would make an excellent Death Eater, Lily had mused, and carefully avoided rising to the bait. Lily knew better, her and Severus would make something of their lives. Right after he'd rid the world of a certain Dark Lord that is anyway.

Her parents had left not long after Petunia, off to the wedding of one of her father's colleagues, they'd decided to stay overnight in a hotel, have a weekend away together. Which left Lily alone in the house. Well, her and Severus alone in the house once he arrived. He'd probably be here soon, no doubt carrying books, he never went anywhere without at least one.

A tapping at the window grabbed her attention, a brown owl waiting patiently for her to remove the letter it carried. Lily gave the owl a treat as she took the letter, watching as it flew off again. Hogwarts supplies. That meant shopping in Diagon Alley, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. Trips to Hogsmeade had felt progressively dangerous over the last school year, always on the lookout for someone following them, someone spying, trying to listen in. Never knowing when Malfoy, or another Death Eater was going to pay Severus a visit, make another attempt to _persuade_ him to pledge himself to You-Know-Who. Hell, since the Prophecy had been made, there was always a chance that You-Know-Who himself would forget about sending his minions completely and just go straight for Severus himself. If he was ever made aware of the Prophecy, she was sure that would happen. And Severus couldn't win in a one-on-one fight with Voldemort. Not now. Not yet. They needed time. Time for Severus to finish searching out the bits and pieces of this Dark Lord's mangled soul, destroy the insane despot piece by piece. _Before_ he came face to face with him. If You-Know-Who already knew what Severus was doing, he would be dead. And so would she. The thought of venturing to Diagon Alley made her nervous, they would have to make a plan before they left, what would they do if they ran into someone. And Lily would have to listen to Severus.

Lily glanced over the enclosed list of text books, not a whole lot different this year, second year of N.E.W.T.'s and last year at Hogwarts. She sighed with that thought, sad to think that by next summer her school days would be over. And she had no idea what would follow. A small badge tumbled out the envelope into her hand. A new Prefect badge, with a number 7. Seventh year Prefect. She wondered who had been made Head Girl and Head Boy. Part of her was glad she hadn't been chosen, she didn't want to be under scrutiny any more than she had to be.

Lily heard the front door open and close softly, footsteps making their way down the hallway towards her. She knew those footsteps. That familiar face came into view, dark eyes, soft and warm as they saw her at the table.

"Good morning, Lily" Severus greeted, quickly making his way to her, leaning in to kiss her gently.

"Good morning" she replied, smiling brightly as he slipped into the seat beside her.

"My mother found the book" he told her, pulling out a small book, placing it beside her on the table. Lily picked it up, opening it at a random page.

"Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump?" she asked, more confused than ever. Severus laughed.

"Yes, some of them are a bit strange" he agreed.

"And this is _definitely_ the book Dumbledore said?"

"Yes, it's the right book" he said, rolling his eyes. "He said something about children's stories being 'unlikely hiding places for the truth'. Or something like that" Lily nodded, though still frowning in confusion.

"I don't suppose he said _which_ story? Did he?" she asked him.

"Unfortunately not. But there aren't many stories in here. I'm sure we can narrow it down" he told her. Lily nodded, flicking through the pages. "Mother was suspicious, about me asking for a children's book" he said, the corner of his mother twitching in amusement.

"Suspicious? In what way?" she asked.

"She asked me if I wanted the book for you" he said, his eyebrows disappearing up his forehead.

"For me?" she asked him, thoroughly confused now. Severus laughed. She was still just confused. "What?" she asked again, frustration creeping in alongside the confusion.

"Well, these are traditional wizarding stories, that you tell to a small child" he explained. Lily dropped her head to the table as she finally understood.

"She honestly doesn't think that I'm... " she trailed off, not even able to finish the sentence, "Does she?" she asked, looking up at him again.

"No" he said, shaking his head, still looking amused. "Just thinking ahead" he added. "I did tell her that Dumbledore suggested the book, to head off any other questions she wanted to fire at me"

Lily shook her head, turning her attention back to the book. It seemed like they both had family members with low opinions of them - his mother subtly wondering if she was pregnant simply because Severus had asked about a children's book. And then there was Petunia, who hurled all sorts of insults and comments at her. And her attacks were not subtle in the slightest.

"Are you ok, Lily?" he asked, reaching out to touch her hand.

"Hmm? Yeah, just Petunia"

"Oh? What was it this time?" he asked quietly. She shook her head.

"Just stuff about us. Rather offensive" she told him, she didn't want to think about that. Didn't want to tell him exactly what she'd said. Severus nodded sadly, but he didn't ask her, he probably didn't want to know either. "So, did you get your Hogwarts letter?" she asked him, desperate to change the subject.

"I did. I thought we could go to Diagon Alley tomorrow" he said quietly. Lily nodded slowly, "We can go early, just get the things we need quickly. We don't have to be there long" he told her. He'd obviously been thinking about it too.

"I don't think we should be there long if we can help it. We don't know who else will be there" she agreed.

"You could always owl a friend or two, see if they can meet us, if you'd feel safer in a larger group" he suggested. Lily smiled as she met his eyes, he really did want to keep her safe.

"I'm sure we can keep our eyes open for anyone we know. With Hogwarts lists arriving today, I'm sure there'll be lots of people we know" she told him. "But we should have a plan, in case we're ambushed by someone" she added reluctantly.

"It may mean splitting up" he said.

"We have the mirrors, we'd find each other again" she said. Severus nodded.

"We do. I'd prefer us to stay together, but after what happened in Hogsmeade I think if we're approached by Malfoy or one of his goons, you should hide, find someone you trust. Even if it's Potter" he said seriously. Lily drew in a deep breath. "I don't like him, Lily, but we both know he wouldn't hurt you" he added. That was definitely true. He might be an idiot, and a show off, but he wouldn't hurt her. He'd proven that when she'd been under the Imperius Curse. She nodded again.

"So, we get what we need, and get out of the there. If you tell me to hide, I'll hide, I'll find someone I know, until you contact me over the mirrors. If there's a lot of them, we're coming to rescue you though" she added. It was one thing fetching help, it was another entirely to run and hide until it was over. She couldn't abandon him, that was clear. But she _could_ get help. She would always return to his side. Severus smiled and nodded, apparently satisfied with her suggestions.

"Shall I read it to you?" Severus suddenly asked, picking the book up from where she'd placed it between them.

"Sounds good" she agreed. She loved listening to his voice, deep and strong. Perfect. "Sofa?" she asked. He nodded and the two of them made their way to their favourite place to curl up together and read. Severus in one corner, arm open for her to curl up beside him, her head on his chest where she could hear his heart beating in her ear, could feel the rumble of his voice in his chest.

"The Wizard and the Hopping Pot" Severus began. Lily closed her eyes, relaxing as he spoke, her mind wandering as he read to her. She wondered if he would read these stories to their children in years to come. Would a little girl with her red hair and his dark eyes curl up against her father's chest, the same way her mother did? _One day._


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

As predicted, Diagon Alley was busy, despite getting there early. The flurry of owls that had reached Wizarding families the previous day had had many of them thinking along the same lines - get the shopping done sooner rather than later.

Severus kept a tight hold of Lily's hand the entire time, not wanting to loosen his grip, not wanting them to become separated. The two of them carefully picked their way through the crowds, the families shopping for excited first years, older teenagers shopping in groups, or couples - like himself and Lily. Money had been changed first of all, both of them having been given Muggle money by their parents. Surprisingly this job was the quickest today, no huge queues, not many Muggleborns needing to swap the printed papers for stacks of gold galleons.

Severus kept a cautious eye out as they wove through the street, ducking into smaller shops, checking items off their lists, refilling their supplies for their Potion's kits, more parchment, more ink. Just in case they couldn't get to Hogsmeade any time soon, they both bought more than they probably needed. At least if things got rough over the year, they wouldn't need to put themselves at risk for the sake of a bit of parchment. Though really, Lily had friends who would be able to shop for her, or the teachers would. They'd find _someone_ to help them. He didn't like leaving it to others though, preferred to fend for himself wherever possible.

He noticed some people from school, some Lily trusted. Alice and Mary, shopping together with the two girls from Ravenclaw that often shared a train compartment with them - though the journey home at the end of June, those two girls had shared the trip with Potter and Black. He vaguely remembered they'd been seated together during that last Hogsmeade visit, and hoped they were still together, that Potter's interest was still drawn somewhere other than Lily.

Though that made him wonder if Potter and Black were hanging around somewhere nearby. And if they were here, was Lupin here? Would Lupin be tracking him down, wondering why he hadn't had an owl over the summer break? And if three of the Marauders were here, would the fourth be hiding somewhere too? Sneaking about in the shadows?

Severus frowned, squeezing Lily's fingers just a little bit tighter as they made their way towards Flourish and Blott's, books being the last of their shopping today. The group of girls approached as they caught sight of them heading across the street, all the girls smiling when they reached Lily. Lily let go of his hand so she could hug each of her friends. General greetings and pleasantries were exchanged amongst them as he kept lookout, still watching for anyone they couldn't trust in the local area. Frowning as he thought he caught a glimpse of Mulciber heading into a shop further down the street, but hoping he was wrong. Mulciber was someone he'd be pleased to never lay eyes on again in his lifetime. And definitely someone he didn't want close to Lily. It might not have been him though, he hoped it wasn't, hoped he wasn't here to keep watch for him, bring Malfoy to him.

"So are you meeting anyone else here today?" he heard Lily asking the girls.

"We're meeting James and Sirius here in a little bit" Jessica told her.

"Then _we're_ making ourselves scarce" Mary laughed. Lily giggled then too.

"So you two are still dating the tearaways then?" Lily asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, and really, they can be quite sweet when they want to be" the other girl, Harriet, added. Severus rolled his eyes. _Sweet indeed_. He hoped Lily didn't talk about him like that. He was _not_ sweet.

"I'll let you be the judge of that" Lily laughed, eyes dancing with amusement as she looked back up at him. He rolled his eyes at her dramatically, not saying a word.

"So did you get your letters yesterday too?" Alice asked.

"We did. I was made seventh year Prefect" Lily told her friends with a smile. "What about you?" she asked Jessica.

"Head Girl" she replied with a shy smile.

"Oh that's great, I wondered who it would be" Lily answered sincerely, obviously pleased for her friend.

"Thanks, I thought it would be you" Jessica answered. Secretly, Severus had thought the same. Lily would make an excellent Head Girl, but it would draw more attention to her. Perhaps this was an attempt to avoid some of that by Dumbledore. "You're not upset?"

"No, of course not. I'm glad it's you" Lily answered. Severus knew she meant it, maybe she was glad of being able to keep a lower profile.

"Thanks" Jessica sighed, relieved her friend was supportive, no doubt.

"Anyway, we really should finish our shopping" Lily told them, "And I'm sure you two don't want to keep the boys waiting" she added with a smirk. The girls all laughed, hugging each other again as they made their goodbyes, nodding at him politely as they left, continuing on down the street.

Lily grabbed his hand again, heading quickly into the bookshop, Severus thought he caught sight of Mulciber again as the door closed behind them. At least they knew of a few people she could trust that were shopping in the Alley today. Friends she could go to for help if it came to that. Though he hoped it wouldn't.

Severus led her towards the back of the shop, partly to locate their required books, partly to find somewhere less crowded to tell her what, who, he thought he had seen.

"What's wrong?" she asked as they stopped behind one of the shelves, peeking carefully around the edge.

"I thought I saw Mulciber while we were outside, and again as we came into the shop" he whispered.

"Are you sure?" she asked, alarm evident in her eyes.

"I wasn't outside, but now? Yes, I'm sure" he told her.

"Do you think he saw us?" she whispered.

"I don't know. But if we see him again, I want you to go to Mary and Alice, or Jessica and Harriet if they're meeting Potter and Black. The larger the group, the better" he told her, still trying to catch sight of anyone.

"They might not let me go" she protested. Which was true, he couldn't guarantee she'd be given the opportunity to flee. Not after Hogsmeade.

"True. I think we should put a little distance between us in the shop, it's me they'll be after" he said.

"But, Sev -" she protested.

"They won't hurt me in the middle of a busy shop, and I still think they want me on their side" he said. And he did still believe that. They still thought he was useful. As long as he was useful, he would be kept alive. And they wouldn't do anything where there could be a whole host of witnesses, Voldemort wouldn't want to risk losing any of his recruits, no matter how stupid they were. If he wanted a War, he needed an army.

"I don't like it, Sev" she told him, searching his eyes for _something_.

"I don't like it either, but I think it's the best option, to keep both of us safe" he told her, she had to understand that it was safest for him too. She wanted to protect him, she still needed to learn that there were different kinds, different ways of protecting the person you loved. Fetching help was _not_ the same as running away. Not the same as abandoning him. He knew that. It made sense. But would he do that if the roles were reversed? Probably not.

"Let's just split up and get the books we need, quickly. Maybe we can get done and get out before they even know we're here" he told her. That was still an option, he could cling to that hope. Lily nodded, kissing him quickly before heading back out from behind the books, peering cautiously around before tip toeing quietly away from him.

Severus took several deep breaths to steady himself before he followed, he wanted to keep her in his sights, just wanted enough distance between them to give her the opportunity to get away, get help, if that situation arose. Severus glanced around cautiously, frowning. He should still be able to see her, he could still hear footsteps as he walked briskly down the walkway, down the aisle towards the main section. His heart rate sped up, he shouldn't have sent her first, what if he was wrong? What if they just grabbed her and disappeared? How could he have been so _stupid?_

When he reached the end of the aisle, his heart plummeted like a rock. Face-to-face with two men he had no desire to see this close again. Mulciber. And Malfoy.

"Ah, Severus. We wondered where you were hiding" Malfoy smirked. Mulciber just stood there looking as stupid as ever. "I must say I'm surprised to find you alone" he drawled, "Have you finally seen sense and ditched the Mudblood?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Severus bristled but he didn't reply. Had they not seen her? He hoped not. Perhaps she saw them first and was safely concealed. "Either way, she is not our concern. She is... _irrelevant._ I have much more important things to discuss with you" he rambled on. Severus frowned, still not answering, the smug git. "I'm here, about a Prophecy"

...

Lily peered out cautiously from behind the bookshelf, creeping carefully away from Severus, trying to keep her footsteps as light as possible. She hated this. Hated that they couldn't go anywhere in the Wizarding world without worrying that someone was following them. Worrying that Severus was going to be a target. He _was_ a target, and this was dangerous.

Lily heard footsteps approaching as she reached the end of the first aisle, heavy footsteps coming towards her. If it was Mulciber, as Severus suspected, he would see her any second. She looked around, panicking, looking for somewhere to hide herself. Without warning, a hand covered her mouth, someone behind her, dragging her backwards, into an alcove she hadn't seen.

Lily tried to scream, tried to pry the fingers away from her mouth.

"Stop struggling, we're trying to help you" a voice whispered in her ear. Potter? She couldn't see him though, couldn't see anyone. What did he mean _we?_ Something soft was thrown over her head, smooth fabric draping over her. She could see him now, under the cloak, an arm wrapped around her, pulling her close, his other hand still clamped over her mouth. "Don't scream, don't make a sound or they'll hear us" Potter whispered again. She stared up over her shoulder at him, eyes wide, no idea what to expect. Could she trust him? And the other boy present? Sirius Black, obviously. Potter removed his hand from her mouth.

"What are you doing?" she whispered harshly.

"We saw you and Snape come into the shop, we were already inside. We saw Malfoy and that shit, Mulciber, come in, no doubt looking for Snape, and it's not like they have to shop for supplies" he told her. They could hear the footsteps thudding closer, she could have sworn she heard Severus' footsteps too, no doubt looking for her, they weren't supposed to get too far apart, he'd worry about her disappearing.

The footsteps stopped, she wanted to get closer, to look for them, but Potter kept hold of her, obviously trying to stop her from jumping into anything.

"Ah, Severus. We wondered where you were hiding" she heard Malfoy saying. So, they had found him then. "I must say I'm surprised to find you alone. Have you finally seen sense and ditched the Mudblood?" Malfoy asked him. Lily almost growled, she really was utterly sick of begin spoke about in that way. "Either way, she is not our concern. She is... _irrelevant_ " he added. Lily was itching to grab her wand and show him just how _irrelevant_ she could be. "I have much more important things to discuss with you" he prattled on, _he really did love the sound of his own voice, didn't he?_ "I'm here, about a Prophecy"

 _Oh shit._ Lily's mouth fell open in shock. _How did he know about the Prophecy?_ Did he know what it said? Did _Voldemort_ know?

"Prophecy?" Potter whispered in her ear.

"Sshh!" she instructed, she needed to know what was going on out there. She grabbed her wand, muttering a _Muffliato_ as quietly as she could.

"What was that spell?" Black asked quietly. Lily shushed them again, waving a hand in their direction, hoping they got the point and _shut the hell up_ so she could find out what was happening.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" she heard Severus say quietly, calmly.

"Oh, I believe you do" Malfoy replied, "You see, a little bird tells me that a Prophecy was made in your presence. A Prophecy concerning the Dark Lord" he continued on.

"Still no idea what you're talking about" he told Malfoy again.

"You're lying. Again. All we wish to know is what the Prophecy contained. What was said?" Malfoy asked, more forcefully this time. Lily was shaking her head, this couldn't be happening. They _couldn't_ know. No one could know.

"Lily, what are they talking about? A Prophecy?" Potter asked.

"Will you just shut up, don't make me silence you!" she snapped at him.

"You don't listen, do you Malfoy?" Severus snapped.

"I'm not going to stand here all day, Severus. Tell me what the Prophecy contained and I'll leave you to enjoy your day" Malfoy ordered. "Who is S.P.T?" he asked.

"Some drunk in the pub who was going around giving Tarot readings" Severus answered, surely he wasn't going to _tell_ them?

"Really?" Malfoy asked, though sounded suspicious.

"Mmm. Is the War going that badly? Voldemort wants to find out what some rambling nutcase is telling people in pubs?" Severus said, sounding faintly amused. When he put it that way, it did sound ridiculous.

"How dare you?" Malfoy spat at him. "You and I both know there is more to this than Tarot. There would not be a record in the Hall of Prophecy if it was" Malfoy hissed.

"Think what you like, Malfoy. What you and your _Dark Lord_ believe is none of my concern" Severus told him.

"Fine, then you leave me with no choice, Severus" Malfoy whispered. What? Was he going to hurt him? Surely they needed to intervene now. " _Legilimens"_ she heard Malfoy saying. Severus took a deep breath. "Occlumency, Severus? A rare skill. Who has taught you Occlumency, I wonder?" Malfoy asked. Severus didn't answer.

"Occlumency?" Potter asked, "Is _that_ what he's been doing -"

"Sshh!"

" _Legilimens!"_ Malfoy tried again, "This will not help you, Severus" Malfoy hissed at him. "Perhaps something else will persuade you to talk. Mulciber!" he called to his goon. _Oh no. No. Not Mulciber._ He couldn't hurt him in here, could he? Potter stepped away from her.

"Stay here" he whispered. She shook her head. Potter moved out from under the cloak, watching what the boys - men - did next.

" _Cruc-"_ Mulciber began.

" _Expelliarmus!"_ Potter cried before he could finish the curse. Lily and Black dashed forwards, still concealed under the cloak, following Potter towards Severus and Malfoy, Mulciber disarmed and staring up at Potter.

"Potter!" Malfoy snapped, "Poking your nose in where it isn't wanted?" he sneered. Potter shrugged.

"What if I am?" he taunted.

"Foolish. Very foolish indeed" Malfoy snapped. "Where is the girl?" he asked harshly. Lily froze, glad she hadn't removed the cloak yet, realisation hitting her that Malfoy would also know _she'd_ heard the Prophecy. And she didn't know Occlumency, she couldn't stop him from poking around in her head if he chose to. She stepped away, hoping they didn't know she was there. Hoping Potter didn't give her away.

"What girl?" Potter shrugged.

"If _he_ is here" Malfoy said, gesturing towards Severus, "Then his little girlfriend will be nearby. She's not sensible enough to keep away from him" he sneered. She wasn't messing up this time.

"I didn't see anyone else. Are you hallucinating, Malfoy? Can get Potions to fix that you know. Or therapy. You probably need some of that too" he teased. _Stupid Potter, this wasn't a game._

"Enough, Potter!" Malfoy snapped, "This doesn't concern you in any case. Walk away now, so we can finish our little _chat_ with Severus"

"Chat, eh? Didn't look much like chatting to me"

" _Stupefy!"_ Malfoy yelled at Potter. Potter managed to throw up a shield barely in time.

" _Expelliarmus!"_ he yelled back, Malfoy blocking this time. Lily stepped further away, though she didn't want to . She wanted to join in with spells of her own, but she couldn't risk it. Mulciber had found his wand again, as Black slipped out to join the fray. Soon spells were lighting up the aisle, she could hear the shouts of people in the shop. They had to get away before the Aurors came. Fortunately, Malfoy and Mulciber knew that too, suddenly fleeing once the way was clear. No one went after them.

"Have you seen Lily?" Severus asked the boys. Lily took the cloak off her, revealing herself in the shadows.

"Sev?" she whispered, "Are you ok?" she asked as he dashed over, wrapping his arms tightly around her, her face pressed close to his chest. She could hear his heart pounding madly.

"I'm fine, are you?" he asked, pulling her away to search her face.

"I'm perfectly fine, thanks to Potter and Black" she told him. "And this" she said, holding up the cloak. Potter leaned over, taking the cloak from her carefully, offering a sheepish smile.

"An invisibility cloak, Potter?" Severus asked him suspiciously. Potter gave him a guilty look.

"Wait a minute, do you take this to school with you?" Lily asked.

"Kind of" he admitted. Black laughed.

"You _were_ following us that day, weren't you?" she asked him.

"Look, I'm sorry about that. Really, I am" he told them. He did look sorry.

"What's this about a Prophecy?" Black asked as he joined the conversation.

"Whatever you do, don't talk about what you've heard" Severus growled quietly.

"Look, I know a bit about the Tarot ready, Remus told us he'd heard something" Potter said.

"Don't talk about it, at all" Severus instructed.

"Is there more to it than that though?" Potter asked.

"We're not discussing it, Potter!" Severus snapped again. Potter nodded, holding his hands up in surrender. "Thank you, for looking after Lily" he whispered. She knew that wasn't easy for him. Thanking Potter and Black.

"Any time. We're on the same side, aren't we?" Potter stated, no sarcasm this time.

"We're on the same side" Severus agreed.

"I think Hell might just have frozen over" Black laughed. Potter grinned. Severus only rolled his eyes. And all Lily could do was sigh with relief.

"I think we should get done, and get out of here" Lily said, Severus nodded.

"Definitely, the sooner we get out of here the better" Severus agreed. "We still need to get our books"

"We'll keep watch while you find what you need" Potter offered. Severus nodded reluctantly. That was the easiest option, considering they were already in the shop.

Barely ten minutes later, they were done and outside again, ready to apparate back home. Chased out of the Wizarding world yet again. They needed to get somewhere safe, and they needed to get word to Dumbledore, let him know that the stakes had just got a little higher, and that maybe, the Ministry had at least one spy reporting his findings to Voldemort.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Severus fumbled with the key, his fingers shaking as he shoved it into the lock. Fear mixed with anger at the turn of events. Had he been naive? Hoping that the other side would never find out about the Prophecy? Definitely. In the memories he'd received, _he'd_ been the one to reveal the Prophecy to Voldemort, spying on Dumbledore and reporting back like a good little Death Eater. Had he really been that foolish to believe there were no other spies? He was mad at himself, for not thinking about that possibility sooner.

Finally unlocked, Severus shoved the door open more forcefully than was absolutely necessary, making the door swing back against the wall in the narrow hallway. He stalked inside, still breathing heavily.

"Severus? What's the matter?" his mother asked fearfully, no doubt worried by his thunderous expression. He shook his head, trying to calm his thoughts as he heard Lily close the door softly. "Severus?" she asked again.

"Everything's fine" he said, no emotion in his voice. His mother raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Yes, you look _fine_ " she told him. Lily slipped her hand into his, squeezing gently, offering what support she could.

"We just ran into someone we'd rather not see" he told her quietly.

"Oh? And who was that?" she asked him.

"I really don't want to talk about it" he told her.

"Lily?" his mother asked, turning her attention elsewhere. Lily bit her lip, she wouldn't want to lie.

"I don't think I should talk about it, Mrs Snape" she whispered.

"I see"

"Look, mother, I don't think we should talk about it because it's not safe" he said.

"The War? Someone trying to recruit you again?"

"Yes" he answered, nodding sadly.

"I see. And what about the information they want?" she asked him. He felt Lily's hand tighten in his.

"What information?" he asked.

"You don't have information they need? They are trying so very hard to bring you over to their side. There must be a reason" she stated.

" _Why_ would I have information?" he asked her, "I'm still at school" he protested. He had to keep lying, and he hated that. His mother was not stupid and she was obviously going to keep thinking about what was going on, gathering the evidence from the bits of his life that she witnessed.

"Well, they obviously believe that you do" she argued, folding her arms.

"Obviously, but that doesn't mean that I do!" he argued right back at her. She sighed then, relenting, but only slightly. She wasn't going to win, he wasn't going to tell her what she wanted to know. She most likely knew there was a whole lot more going on than he was admitting to.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, mother, I need to send a letter" he told her calmly.

"To Dumbledore?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She knew.

"To Dumbledore" he acknowledged, waiting for the next round of questions.

"Very well" she finally said, motioning them further into the house, allowing them to go up to his room. Severus breathed a sigh of relief. No more questions today. Probably questions tomorrow if Dumbledore showed up, but he'd deal with that then. He had other things to deal with first.

The two of them made their way carefully up the narrow staircase, Severus leading Lily up to his room. She'd only been to his house a handful of times before, and all of those occasions had been this summer. It just wasn't a pleasant place to be, even without his father sat somewhere, drinking or nursing a hangover, or throwing things at him and his mother.

Severus closed the door behind them softly, sighing as he sat on the bed, shoving the bags on the floor. Lily sat beside him, reaching for his hand, resting her head on his shoulder.

"This is bad, Sev" she whispered. He nodded sadly, and he completely agreed.

"This is bad" he echoed. What else could he say? "I need to let Dumbledore know" he said, letting go of her hand, moving over to the small desk. He grabbed a piece of parchment. How much to say in a letter? Was it safe to say _anything_ in a letter? In the end, he settled for two words: ' _They know',_ along with an ' _S.S.'_ to finish. That would bring the Headmaster to him. Any letter would really, with Severus being the one receiving information about the enemy, he would be contacting Dumbledore for a reason. And now, it seemed, they were watching Wizarding areas for him. That was the first time he'd ventured to Diagon Alley this summer, it couldn't have been a coincidence that Mulciber and Malfoy showed up so quickly. Probably one of their own side had received a Hogwarts letter the day before too, guessing that would bring him to the Alley. There was no shortage of Voldemort's followers still at Hogwarts - Avery was still there, as was Wilkes; they hadn't been stupid enough to use any Unforgivables in their attacks on him. There was also Regulus Black who had joined the growing group of aspiring Death Eater's. That was only the ones who had actively targeted him. How many more were waiting? How many from other Houses? No one seemed to think that other Houses would join Voldemort's cause. Everyone preferring to think that only the Slytherin's were evil.

Severus sighed as he attached the note to Apollo's leg, sending him off out the window, watching as he flew off into the sky, into the distance to find Dumbledore. Severus cast a _Muffliato_ , as he sat back down on the bed, he didn't want his mother overhearing their conversation, not that he expected her to be listening at the door.

"She knows you're lying" Lily whispered.

"I know" he nodded, "But we can't tell her"

"I know. I just hate lying to everyone"

"It won't be forever. And it's only because it's necessary. It's to keep them safe" he argued. Which it was, to keep _all_ of them safe. The less people knew, the safer they would be. Lily nodded.

"How did they find out? About the Prophecy?" she asked nervously.

"My guess is that Voldemort has a spy working at the Ministry" he said. That was the only explanation.

"How could they know a Prophecy had been made, but not what it said?" she asked.

"I don't know" he admitted, "That's something I need to talk to Dumbledore about." There was a _lot_ he needed to talk to him about.

"They know you heard it. They know I heard it too, don't they?" she asked him. Most likely, he thought as he nodded.

"I was able to keep him out of my head, because I've practiced Occlumency with Dumbledore" he explained quietly.

"And I haven't. I won't be able to keep him out if he finds me, Sev" she said, the fear evident in her voice. Severus swallowed nervously, that was a terrifying thought.

"Then we can't let them find you" he whispered.

"I need to learn Occlumency" she told him, "Can you teach me?" she asked, turning to face him.

"I don't know. I've never used Legilimency" he admitted, his lessons had focused solely on keeping someone _out_ of his head, not trying to get inside someone else's.

"Do you think we should try?" she asked.

"I think we should talk to Dumbledore" he said. "Maybe he should be the one to teach you" he added.

"I trust you" she told him.

"Even to poke around in your head?" he asked. He wasn't sure she'd want him peeking into her memories, he wasn't sure _he_ wanted to look in there.

"I don't have anything to hide" she told him simply.

"We'll talk to Dumbledore first. If you still want me to try it I will" he told her. She nodded, offering a small smile before kissing him lightly on the lips.

"And we need to ask him about that children's book" she said to him.

"We do. The only story that would make sense is the Tale of the Three Brothers. That mentioned a stone" he told her. But it still didn't make sense, it was just a fairy tale, nothing could bring someone back from the dead. It just wasn't possible.

"I've been thinking about that" she told him, "That cloak of Potter's" she added.

"The third brothers cloak?" he asked with a frown.

"It's possible. If the stone exists, or did exist in that ring, then the other things must exist too. Maybe Potter's cloak is the same cloak of invisibility mentioned in the story" she theorised.

"In that case, the Elder Wand exists somewhere too" he added. That was a scary thought, the wand was supposed to be all powerful, unbeatable. The ultimate wand. If it did exist, he hoped that it was hidden somewhere it couldn't be found. Or if it had been located, that it was in the hands of someone who wouldn't abuse that power. Someone who fought for the light. Though something niggled somewhere in his brain somewhere about that, from the memories.

Suddenly, his head was swimming again, so many bits of information tumbling around in his head, around and around. Everything seemed to get more complicated by the day, and the list of things to discuss with Dumbledore was getting longer and longer.

...

Lily and Severus sat at the small kitchen table in his mother's house. Lily glanced at him nervously as she drank her tea. Severus kept rubbing at his forehead, as if trying to rub various thoughts away. Mrs Snape had kept herself out of their way, either in the living room or her own bedroom, once she realised that neither Severus or Lily were going to tell her what _actually_ happened yesterday in Diagon Alley.

For the first time, Lily had spent the night at Severus' house, neither of them wanted to be apart, both afraid for the others safety - though logically, they both knew their own houses were safe, they still felt much safer when they were together. They hadn't slept much, she'd slept more than he had, but each time she woke he seemed to be sat on the floor, with his back against the bed, staring into the darkness. Every time she found him there, she coaxed him back into bed, trying to get him to relax, to sleep, but the next time she woke he'd be on the floor once again.

Finally, a knock at the door disturbed their thoughts. An expected knock. Severus drew in a deep breath as he locked eyes with her, before swiftly heading for the door, opening it to reveal the Headmaster. Severus ushered him inside, locking it carefully behind him.

"Good morning, Sir" Lily greeted quietly.

"Good morning, Miss Evans" he responded, without the usual warmth in his expression, his face was serious. That was worrying. Severus slid back into his seat at the table.

"Where is your mother, Severus?" the Headmaster asked.

"Upstairs, in her room I believe" he answered. Dumbledore nodded, withdrawing his wand, casting spells of his own to give them privacy as they continued their discussion.

"What exactly, do they know, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, getting straight to the point.

"They know a Prophecy has been made, concerning You-Know-Who" he said quietly, "They know I heard it, Malfoy attempted to use Legilimency on me to discover what the Prophecy said" Severus told him. Dumbledore nodded slowly.

"But he did not find out?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, those Occlumency lessons came in handy" Severus told him with a raised eyebrow.

"But I don't know Occlumency, Sir. When Malfoy couldn't get what he wanted from Severus, he asked him where I was. He knows I heard it too" she told him, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. Dumbledore let out a heavy breath.

"You were not with Severus when Mr Malfoy confronted him?"

"He didn't see me. Severus thought he saw Mulciber follow us into Flourish and Blott's and suggested we put some distance between us. I was hidden when they found him" she explained. Though it sounded to her like she'd run away as she explained what happened.

"Hidden?"

"Potter and Black apparently saw Malfoy and Mulciber come in after us, and came to help. Potter has an invisibility cloak, did you know that, Sir?" she couldn't help but ask that.

"An invisibility cloak? How curious" he replied, not answering the question, though she suspected he knew. "So, he concealed you beneath the cloak?" he asked.

"Yes, and it's a good job he did" Severus said, frowning as he spoke.

"Indeed. If Mr Malfoy had been able to gain access to Miss Evans' memories, that would have made things infinitely more difficult for us" Dumbledore agreed.

"Well, yeah. I know about the Prophecy, I know about Severus' memories, about what You-Know-Who is up to tearing his soul apart" she rattled off the list of things. Things that would put her in danger, put Severus in danger. Hell, the whole Wizarding world in danger.

"Just Obliviate me now" she whispered, burying her face in her hands. She felt Severus' arms slip around her from behind as he tried to comfort her.

"I think that might be a bit extreme, Miss Evans" Dumbledore told her. For a moment, she didn't think so, not when she thought about what was at stake.

"Occlumency, Lily" Severus whispered, "You were right, when you suggested that yesterday" he told her.

"I agree. Occlumency has been able to give Severus a way of protecting his mind, it can for you as well"

"Who will teach me?" she asked nervously.

"I can teach you, once you return to Hogwarts. Or Severus can begin a few simple exercises with you before then" he told them, "Do you still have the book, Severus?"

"I do"

"That is a good place to begin in any case" the Headmaster said. Lily nodded slowly, still feeling worried.

"Good. So, Lord Voldemort is aware that a Prophecy has been made, and that the three of us have heard it?"

"Yes, Sir. How is that possible? If there's a spy in the Ministry why can't he just listen to it, in the Hall of Prophecy?" Severus asked. Dumbledore sighed.

"Only persons named on a Prophecy can retrieve it from the Hall - in this case, only Voldemort himself" Dumbledore explained, "Anyone else who touches it before it has been removed, will be inflicted with madness"

"So, no one else can retrieve it? I'm not named in the Prophecy?" Severus asked him.

"No, you were not directly named"

"So the only chance they have of discovering what it says is from one of us?" Lily asked.

"Or if they find the Prophecy Keeper, and that is close to impossible. Even I do not know the identity of the Keeper" he told them. Lily nodded, frowning, as was Severus as he retook his seat at the table. _Close_ to impossible. But not impossible.

"Potter and Black know that a Prophecy has been made too, they overheard the discussion between myself and Malfoy. And Lupin is aware of the Tarot reading" Severus told him. Dumbledore nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Perhaps I shall have a little discussion with the three of them when school is back in session" Dumbledore said.

"Just those three, Sir. Not their other friend. I believe Lupin is keeping him out of the loop. He doesn't trust him, and neither do I" Severus said.

"Very well. I will start with those three, unless they tell me they have brought him 'up to speed' themselves" the Headmaster agreed. Lily hoped they hadn't told him.

"Now, I would suggest that the two of you keep yourselves in the Muggle world until you return to school" Dumbledore said, they both nodded, they'd already figured out that much. "And do not take the train back"

"Sir?" Lily asked.

"They may be watching, just as they were watching Diagon Alley, for you shopping for school supplies. They will _expect_ you to be there with your fellow students" he explained, "You can both Apparate successfully, you have your licences, yes?"

"Yes, Sir" they both nodded and agreed.

"You can Apparate to the gates, Hagrid will let you in. That will get you back to Hogwarts safely. And I do not believe it would be wise to return home at Christmas, any time you leave Hogwarts, you will be leaving my protection. They may be watching for you leaving, or watching Hogsmeade, or be liaising with students who wish to join their ranks"

"Like Avery and Wilkes" Severus interrupted.

"Indeed. They may be watching you closely. Who knows what instructions they have been given by Mr Mulciber, or Lucius Malfoy. All of them will wish to prove their usefulness and gain favour with Voldemort" Dumbledore explained. Lily sighed, she hated the thought of being away from her family for the entire school year, but if that was going to be safest for them all, then she would do it. And at least no one at school was going to be using Legilimency on her to discover the Prophecy, that gave her time to practice at keeping people out of her mind, before there was no choice but to leave the safety of the school. The year would pass soon enough.

"Can I ask about the ring, Sir? The stone?" Severus asked after several moments of silence.

"You have read the stories?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, my mother had a copy. The Tale of the Three Brothers?" Severus asked. Dumbledore smiled, raising an eyebrow. "The stone that death gave to the second brother, is that the one in the ring?" he asked.

"It could be" Dumbledore answered.

"And yesterday, we found out that Potter has a cloak of invisibility - like the one belonging to third brother" Lily added.

"Indeed he does" Dumbledore confirmed "And the Elder Wand?" he asked.

"Is your wand, Sir" Severus said calmly.

"What?" Lily asked him. Dumbledore smiled, saying nothing.

"My death" Severus continued, "He killed me, because he thought _I_ was the Elder Wands master - because I'd killed you" he added, just as calmly as before.

"What?" she asked again. _Killed Dumbledore?_ He wouldn't do that.

"You didn't tell her?" Dumbledore asked. Severus shook his head slowly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked him quietly, hurt that he'd left something out, kept something back.

"It wasn't something I wanted to talk about" he admitted sadly. The three of them fell back into silence again, no one sure what to say next.

"Severus, would you fetch your mother please, I need to discuss a few things with her while I'm here" Dumbledore asked him.

"She doesn't know anything about this, the memories, the Prophecy. None of it" he told him. Dumbledore nodded, as Severus left the room, leaving Lily alone with the Headmaster.

"Why didn't he tell me?" she asked him.

"I doubt it is something he likes to think about. He didn't murder me, if that is what concerns you, Miss Evans"

"No?" she asked. That _did_ worry her a little, though logically, the Severus these memories were from was a Death Eater. Murder and death had to have been in his life at least at one point.

"I had asked him to do it. I'd been cursed, by the very ring we destroyed this summer" he told her, "Which he has already saved me from in this lifetime" he added.

"Oh" she said. Well, put that way it didn't sound so bad. It still didn't explain why he hadn't told her.

"It seems to have been a carefully orchestrated plan, and put him where he needed to be in the War"

"You make it sound like a game"

"War is a lot like chess, Miss Evans. The Severus that the memories came from made a great many mistakes in his youth. But he was as loyal as the Severus we know in this life. He was loyal to your memory, and to myself, and appears to have followed any orders he was given if it meant that it would help bring down Lord Voldemort" Dumbledore explained. Lily nodded slowly. That made it sound like all he was, was a tool, a weapon. Not a man with a life. He was a man with a mission. A sad thought really.

"That's not going to happen this time, is it?" she asked.

"I certainly hope not. Though, there is still a War to win" he said sadly. Lily sighed. A War to win. Orders to be given. Men to be moved around like pawns on a chess board. Which pawns would be sacrificed before the end this time? The only thing she knew for certain, was that she utterly hated War.

 **A/N - once again a huge thank you for all the reviews, and for all your kind words over the last few chapters especially, I really do appreciate it. I know that some disagreed with them taking a trip to Diagon Alley in the previous chapter, but they are only 17 (Severus hasn't gone back in time, he is only 17), and they are not going to make exactly the right decisions every time there is one to make. Plus, we need to keep the story moving forwards :)**


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

 _Severus stood in the Hospital Wing, pulling his sleeve back down, covering the Dark Mark. The black was fading after suddenly flaring back to life a matter of hours ago, and would Fudge believe it? The Ministry? Of course not, too blinded by fear of what the Dark Lord's return actually meant. Better to bury their heads in the sand. 'He' could not return. Fortunately Dumbledore knew better. As did he._

 _Dumbledore closed the door to the Hospital Wing, glancing around those remaining around Harry Potter's bed._

 _"And now, it is time for two of our number to recognise each other for what they are. Sirius... if you could resume your usual form" Dumbledore asked. The shaggy black dog glanced up before turning into Sirius Black. Fucking Black. Traitorous bastard, what on earth was he doing here? Severus could barely suppress his fury at the sight of him, the one who betrayed Lily._

 _"Sirius Black!" Molly Weasley screamed._

 _"Mum, shut up! It's ok" the Weasley boy told her._

 _"Him!" Severus snarled furiously. He'd never hated anyone more. "What is he doing here?"_

 _"He is here at my invitation, as are you, Severus. I trust you both" Dumbledore told him._ How? _"It is time for you to lay aside your old differences, and trust each other" Like that was going to happen. Black was looking back at him with as much loathing as he felt himself._

 _"I will settle, in the short term, for a lack of open hostility. You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who knew the truth stand united, there is no hope for any of us" Dumbledore told them impatiently._

 _Severus stepped forwards, maintaining his glare - as did Black, and reached out his hand. The two shook hands extremely quickly, letting go as soon as they were able. There was obviously more to the situation than Dumbledore had told him, unless he was going to maintain that Pettigrew had been the secret keeper and still alive and running around somewhere._

 _"That will do to be going on with" Dumbledore said as he stepped between himself and Black. "Now, I have work for each of you. Fudge's attitude, though not unexpected, changes everything. Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher - the old crowd" - the Order, Severus added mentally. "Lie low at Lupin's for a while, I will contact you there"_

 _"But -" Potter protested._

 _"You'll see me very soon, Harry. I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?" Black explained to the boy._

 _"Yeah. Yeah... of course I do" Potter reluctantly agreed. Severus watched as Black transformed back into the black dog, ran to the door, and was gone without a backward glance._

 _"Severus, you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready... if you are prepared..." Dumbledore said quietly._

 _"I am" he replied. As ready as he was ever going to be, though he couldn't help but feel nervous._

 _"Then, good luck" Dumbledore told him. Severus tried to ignore the look of apprehension on the Headmaster's face. Dumbledore was worried for him. Worried he wouldn't be accepted back into the Dark Lord's ranks. That thirteen years of training would come to nothing and he would be murdered on the spot for abandoning his fellow Death Eater's. Abandoning the Dark Lord. Everything hinged on convincing the Dark Lord of his undying loyalty. Severus swept from the Hospital Wing, as silent as a shadow, to return to the Dark Lord's side._

 _The dream faded, the glimpse of memory ending, swirling and merging into another before he could wake up._

 _Severus sat down in the dusty armchair, opposite Narcissa and Bellatrix. Bellatrix maintaining her mistrustful glare at him. Thoroughly amusing it was, but also annoying._

 _"So, what can I do for you?" Severus finally asked the sisters._

 _"We... are alone, aren't we?" Narcissa asked quietly._

 _"Yes, of course. Well, Wormtail's here, but we're not counting vermin, are we?" he asked with a smirk. Severus aimed his wand at a wall of books, with a bang, a hidden door flew open to reveal a narrow staircase. Wormtail stood, frozen to the spot in his fear. Good, let him cower, worthless scum. Severus would make sure the little rat paid._

 _"As you have clearly realised, Wormtail, we have guests" Severus stated in almost bored drawl. Wormtail shuffled cautiously down the last couple of steps, moving anxiously into the room as he stroked his hideous silver hand._

 _"Narcissa! Bellatrix! How charming -" he simpered pathetically._

 _"Wormtail will get us drinks, if you'd like them. And then he will return to his bedroom" Severus told them._

 _"I am not your servant!" Wormtail squeaked, carefully avoiding Severus' eyes._

 _"Really? I was under the impression that the Dark Lord placed you here to assist me" Severus drawled, challenging the disgusting wretch._

 _"To assist, yes - but not to make you drinks and - and clean your house!" he protested. Not that he was doing much in the way of cleaning, the house was just as neglected as it had always been._

 _"I had no idea, Wormtail, that you were craving more dangerous assignments" he said silkily - like the worm wanted danger, fucking coward "This can easily be arranged. I shall speak to the Dark Lord -"_

 _"I can speak to him myself if I want to!" he interrupted._

 _"Of course you can" Severus sneered, "But in the meantime, bring us drinks. Some of the elf-made wine will do"_

 _Wormtail hesitated before scurrying out of another hidden door. Oh, he might not be able to kill the pathetic rat of a man in his sleep, but he could certainly keep him scurrying about, in fear of what Severus_ might _do to him. Or what Severus might tell the Dark Lord if he didn't obey his every command. Wormtail would pay for his betrayal soon enough, one way or another. And Severus hoped with every fibre of his being, that he'd be the one to make him suffer for what he did to Lily._

 _..._

Severus lay in his bed, wide awake now. And furious after those snippets of memories. He wished he was with Lily, but they couldn't stay together _every_ night, much as they wanted to. He didn't know what time it was, the sky was getting light, but that didn't really mean too much in the summer. Severus grabbed for the mirror, maybe he'd see if Lily was awake yet.

"Lily?" he whispered into the mirror. He waited as the seconds stretched on.

"Sev?" he heard her say, her face coming into view just as he was about to give up. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I had another one come through" he said quietly.

"Oh?" she said as she rubbed her eyes, "Do you want me to come over?"

"Can you?" he asked.

"I'll be there in ten minutes, is that ok?"

"That's fine, thanks Lily" he whispered, breathing a sigh of relief. Lily nodded as her face disappeared from the mirror. Severus placed his back down on the small bedside table, throwing the covers off himself. First thing to do, contact Lupin. He had to make sure they kept Pettigrew completely in the dark.

Severus sat at the desk, reaching for a piece of parchment to compose his letter.

 _'Lupin,_

 _Do not tell Pettigrew 'anything'. And I mean, 'anything'._

 _S.S.'_

He hoped that would be enough to convince him to keep Pettigrew out of it. He suspected it would be, given that Lupin had approached him on the train home to let him know they thought he was acting suspicious. Meeting with Regulus Black. A Death Eater wannabe. Or a Death Eater already. He didn't know which it was. But what about Pettigrew? Was he already a Death Eater? Aspiring to be one? Frightened and passing along information? Spying to buy his own safety?

Severus opened Apollo's cage, attaching the note carefully to his leg before sending him off out the window to find Remus Lupin. Never in a million years did he think he'd actually be writing to Lupin. Things were definitely getting stranger and stranger.

Severus glanced at the clock for the first time then, 6.20am, no wonder Lily had still been asleep. Sighing, he made his way down the stairs, not wishing to wake his mother, he didn't think she would appreciate that very much. Lily would be here soon though, she would help him sort out his thoughts, she always did.

Severus got things ready, making them both tea while he waited, knowing Lily would need something to help wake her up. A soft knock at the door a moment later alerted him to her arrival, and he quickly opened the door to let her in. She greeted him with a soft kiss and a smile, before she took a seat at the table. Severus handed her a cup of tea before taking his own seat, casting a _Muffliato_ before speaking, just in case his mother woke and overheard their conversation.

"Sorry I woke you, I had no idea what time it was" he told her quietly.

"That's ok, I don't mind" she answered, sipping her tea. "So, what did you see?" she asked. Severus sighed.

"A couple of bits. First off, Black really is on our side" he told her.

"Sirius Black?" she frowned.

"Yes. I _know_ we'd kind of figured that out, but yes, confirmation that he really _is_ on the same side we are" he told her. Slowly, she nodded.

"What else did you see?" she asked quietly.

"Pettigrew. We definitely can't trust him" he said, "I saw him as a Death Eater"

"What? Really? He seems so... so... well, _not_ like a Death Eater" she told him.

"Looks can be deceiving" he told her. Everyone thought _he_ was a Death Eater. Or was going to become one. Though, given that he did become one in another lifetime, that was neither here nor there.

"Do you think he's already gone to their side?" she asked.

"I don't know. But Lupin said he'd been acting suspicious. I don't know whether he's actively trying to become a Death Eater, or _has_ become one, or just gathering information. He cannot be trusted at all" he said seriously. Lily nodded.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

"I've sent a note to Lupin, reminding him not to tell Pettigrew anything" Lily nodded, "Lupin is aware of the Tarot reading and has already filled in Potter and Black, and Potter and Black are aware a Prophecy has been made and that _we're_ wanted because we heard it" he huffed, frowning. If the three Marauders decided to share their collective knowledge with the fourth, that would lead to a whole load of trouble if he carried that information off to Avery and Wilkes, or Regulus Black. Or even You-Know-Who himself. Lily sighed then.

"Let's hope they don't tell him then" she said. Severus nodded.

"And next week, we'll be back at Hogwarts. Things are going to be more difficult then. We'll be seeing people from 'the other side' every day" he said. That was a concern, not that anyone would be trying to get information from himself and Lily - none of them would be using Legilimency to pry it directly from their minds. But they may just go straight for attacks. _Pranks._ Anything to put them in the Hospital Wing. Himself and Lily were going to have to be on their guard all the time. At least he knew there were people they could trust. People he could trust to help keep Lily safe, even if he didn't personally like them. Her safety was more important than that.

"Has your mother decided what she's going to do? When we go back?" Lily asked. Severus sighed.

"I think she's leaning towards going into hiding, staying with a family with members belonging to the Order" he told her. He hoped she would. It wouldn't be long before the Death Eater's tracked her down, especially after Malfoy had confronted him last week in Diagon Alley.

"That's good then" Lily said.

"I think Dumbledore managed to talk her into it. Convinced her that we, and her, would be safer that way" he said. And it was true. She would be safer if they couldn't find her, attempting to get information she didn't have. And he wouldn't be worrying for her safety. "What about your parents?" he asked.

"Nothing's been mentioned about hiding my parents. I guess because I haven't been directly targeted yet" she said. Severus nodded, frowning again, he didn't like that particular word. _Yet._

"Maybe we could talk to Dumbledore when we get back" he suggested. They couldn't rule out the Evans becoming targets. Muggles were despised by Death Eater's. Having a witch for a daughter placed them at higher risk than other Muggles. Lily having heard the Prophecy placed them at even higher risk still. They may need to be hidden at some point as the War and the danger escalated.

"Good morning, you two" his mother's voice suddenly joined. Severus subtly removed his privacy spell.

"Good morning, mother"

"Good morning, Mrs Snape"

"You're here early today, is everything all right?" his mother asked Lily.

"Yes, everything's fine, Mrs Snape" she smiled. "Just been having trouble sleeping, worrying about going back to school" she explained.

"I see. And the privacy spell?" she asked, turning her attention to Severus.

"We didn't want to wake you" he said calmly. Slowly, she nodded, hopefully accepting the excuse. Well, it wasn't _entirely_ a lie.

"I should get back home, my parents don't know I've gone, I don't want to worry them" she told them.

"I'll be over in a bit, Lily" he told her. Lily nodded and smiled.

"Good bye, Mrs Snape"

"Good bye, Lily" his mother replied.

"See you later, Sev" Lily told him. Severus nodded as she left the table, quickly heading out the house to make her way home.

"I'm going to take a quick shower, then. Before I go to Lily's" he told his mother as he stood from the table. His mother nodded, saying nothing as she watched him leave the room, no doubt wondering when he'd snuck Lily into the house. He sighed as he trudged up the stairs to the bathroom, wondering when the next round of questions, or next lecture was going to come.

...

"Are you sure you want to do this, Lily?" Severus asked as he sat next to her on the sofa.

"Yes, I'm sure" she told him, "I keep telling you I'm sure" she added impatiently. Severus sighed.

"It might not be particularly pleasant" he told her.

"I know, but it's necessary" she told him. Which it was. She needed to know how to protect her mind, her memories, at least a bit. She knew far too much. If she became a target for Malfoy, well, it wouldn't be at all good. "I'd rather have you poking around in my head than Dumbledore" she added.

"What are you talking about, Lily?" her mother asked, not choosing the best moment to join their conversation.

"Just an activity the Headmaster suggest we try" Lily told her.

" _Poking around in your head?"_ she asked dubiously.

"It's not like that _exactly,_ Mrs Evans" Severus told her. "It's a technique, like meditation, it can help protect your mind, creating a shield to prevent others from accessing your memories" he explained.

"There are wizards that can read minds?" her mother asked.

"Sort of. Well, not mind reading as such. Accessing memories" he continued.

"Sounds like mind reading if you ask me" her mother said. Lily smiled, she had to agree, it _did_ sound like mind reading to her too. "Is it dangerous?" her mother asked him.

"Um, well, it depends on who's doing it" he said. "I'm not going to hurt her if _I_ try and gain access to her memories, but someone on the other side might be more aggressive in how they go about it" he said. Her mother looked thoughtful.

"And you're going to teach her how to keep someone out?"

"I'm going to try to. I've not had any experience in trying to get into someone's mind, only on keeping someone out. That's what I've been learning with the Headmaster"

"Because of the War?"

"Exactly. The Headmaster thinks Lily should begin learning, because she's close to me" he explained.

"And you're ok with this, Lily?" her mother asked.

"I am" Lily nodded. "I know you're worried, and this sounds crazy, but the War is going on and I need to know how to protect myself any way I can" she told her.

"Well, just be careful, both of you" she told them. She and Severus both nodded. They would be careful, she trusted him completely. "Well, I'm just nipping to the shops, I won't be too long" she added, before heading off out of the house, leaving them alone in the living room.

"So, what do we need to do?" she asked him, turning to face him.

"Take out your wand" he instructed. Lily obeyed quickly, picking up her wand, holding it carefully in her hand as she saw him do the same. Severus moved to the opposite end of the sofa, turning to sit cross legged, Lily copied his actions. Severus took a deep breath before he continued. "The aim is to clear your mind, of emotions. Emotions make it easier to get in" he explained. Lily nodded, frowning slightly as she thought about what he said.

"But I'm an emotional person" she said, worried that that would make it impossible for her to do.

"You can learn. Meditation is an adequate description for preparing yourself. Keeping calm is essential. If you panic, or get angry, or stressed, it will make it harder to keep focused" he told her. "You _can_ do it, Lily. You don't necessarily _need_ your wand to keep someone out. But it can be useful, if you had your wand in hand when approached by someone like Malfoy, you can use any means to keep them out" he told her. Lily nodded slowly. She _could_ do this. _Couldn't she?_ Only one way to find out.

"Ok. I'm ready" she told him, meeting his eyes. Severus nodded, raising his wand.

" _Legilimens"_ he whispered. Lily took a deep breath as she felt a peculiar sensation as Severus brushed her thoughts. Gently. So gently. Images moved past as she tried to figure out how to push him out... _her mother asking about Severus... her mother asking about the War... about Hogwarts... the Slytherins being expelled._

Severus withdrew from her mind. Lily sighed heavily.

"I don't think I did very well" she said.

"It was the first time, Lily" he said gently. She nodded reluctantly, taking a deep breath.

"Again?" he asked. She nodded. " _Legilimens"_ he whispered, she could feel him in her mind again. Images of Petunia this time... _boasting about Vernon... Lily calling him a fat walrus... Petunia calling Severus disgusting names._ Lily pushed him out, breathing heavily as she broke eye contact.

"Better" he said. Lily rubbed her forehead, feeling annoyed. "I know what she says about me, Lily" he said quietly.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

"You don't need to be sorry" he said softly. Perhaps not, but she was still sorry. "And you _can_ do this" he told her, smiling. She nodded, lifting her eyes to his again. She could do this. " _Legilimens"_ he muttered again, no warning this time as he slipped into her mind. Lily panicked slightly, knowing she needed to keep him out, the Prophecy flicked to the forefront of her mind... _The One with the power to vanquish..._ She pushed him back out again. He was smiling again.

"You can do this" he told her again, looking pleased, "Just need to keep calm, in control"

"And don't panic" she agreed, smiling.

"I think you should practice with Dumbledore when we get back to school" he suggested. She nodded, though really didn't want to have Dumbledore try and get in her head.

"Do I have to?" she asked.

"Well, this is my first time using Legilimency, Dumbledore is obviously much more skilled. If you can keep him out, you can keep pretty much anyone out" he told her.

"So, this is good practice for you too, then?" she asked. It would be a handy skill for him to have. The Occlumency had certainly been an excellent skill to have, though not for the reason he'd begun studying it - he'd originally started it to try and stop the memories reaching him in his dreams. Things had certainly changed over the last year - the memories had become an essential weapon in the quest to defeat Voldemort, and the Occlumency was essential to stop Voldemort finding out.

"I guess so" he agreed.

"One last time?" she asked. He nodded, lifting his wand again.

" _Legilimens"_ again, she felt him touching her mind, strange, but not altogether unpleasant... _he was holding her hand... stroking her hair... leaning in to kiss her._ She should push him out, now that she'd figured out how. But... he was kissing her. She pushed him out, she had to keep in control. Lily looked at him, biting her lip.

"Sorry" she whispered, blushing and trying not to smile.

"No you're not" he laughed.

"I am a _bit"_ she grinned. She wasn't, not really.

"You had enough practice for today?" he asked.

"Mmm" she mumbled as she moved closer to him. Severus placed his wand down beside him, reaching to slip his hand into her hair, drawing her into his kiss. "Mmm. How did you know?" she asked as he pulled back.

"I've just been in your mind, remember?" he teased.

"Oh yeah" she grinned. "Sorry about that" she said as she leaned into him again, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"Really?" he asked with amusement.

"No" she answered, leaning in to kiss him again, wrapping her arms around him tightly, her wand cast aside alongside his. He didn't object in the slightest, his hand roaming over her back and in her hair.

It had been nice viewing memories of their kisses in her mind, but it was much nicer creating new memories.

 **Recognisable parts from The Goblet of Fire - The Parting of Ways, And The Half Blood Prince - Spinner's End**


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Remus collapsed down onto the empty seat in the train compartment, James and Sirius sat together opposite. His two friends were huddled, heads close, serious expressions on their faces. Ordinarily the boys were bright and boisterous, and plotting mischief of some sort.

"What's up with you two?" Remus finally asked. James stood, peeking out of the compartment door, locking it carefully when he was sure no one was nearby.

"There's something going on , isn't there?" James asked, frowning. Remus shrugged.

"There's always _something_ going on, James" he told him.

"I mean with the War" he said.

"There haven't been any reports in the Prophet" Remus argued.

"I know that. But there's definitely something" James frowned. Sirius was nodding too, face equally solemn. He wasn't used to seeing his friends like this. And the worst thing was, he couldn't argue against it. There was an unknown tension in the air, the feeling that _something_ was going to happen. Remus frowned, thinking about the note he'd received.

"I got a note last week, from Snape" he told his friends.

"What did it say?" James asked.

"Just reminding me not to tell Peter anything" he said. The two boys nodded "Have you heard from Peter at all over the summer?"

"A couple of times early on, nothing the last couple of weeks though" Sirius admitted.

"We ran into Snape the other week, in Diagon Alley" James continued.

"Oh?"

"We didn't want to say anything in a letter though" James explained.

"What happened?" Remus asked curiously. _What did they do?_

"Malfoy and Mulciber cornered him in Flourish and Blott's" Sirius began.

"Evans was with him, but we managed to hide her under the cloak before Malfoy could find her" James continued.

"What did they want with him? Them?" Remus asked.

"They wanted to know about a Prophecy" James whispered.

"A what?"

"You heard me. Malfoy said that Snape, Evans and Dumbledore were given a Prophecy, about You-Know-Who. Snape said it was a nutter making a Tarot reading" James explained.

"I told you about the Tarot reading"

"And that they ran off sharpish. Something must have happened" Sirius joined.

"I didn't hear anything else" Remus told them. If a genuine Prophecy had been made, it wasn't in the Three Broomsticks, "It must have been after they left" Remus frowned. "Did Malfoy get what he wanted?"

"No. Snape has been learning Occlumency, with Dumbledore. _That's_ what they've been doing" Sirius said.

"They've been preparing for this for over a year" James added. Remus let out a heavy breath. This was bigger than anything they'd thought about. Remus had merely suspected that Dumbledore was providing support, due to the problems that Snape had had at home, or that he was trying to convince him to join the 'right side' in the War.

"We definitely can't tell anyone about this" Remus said quietly.

"No" James agreed. "I've never liked Snape, but, well... I don't know" he trailed off frustratedly.

"But we're definitely on the same side" Sirius added. Remus almost laughed.

"Did that hurt?" he asked. He knew it wasn't easy for his friends to accept that. They'd gone from five years of tormenting the boy, to not trusting him because he spent so much time with Dumbledore, to grudgingly backing off, to accepting that Snape was one of the good guys. Snape was working _with_ Dumbledore. And seemingly capable of holding his own against a Death Eater - allegedly a high ranking one at that. If Dumbledore needed him, it was for a reason. Lily had been telling them that for over a year that this was bigger than they realised. And she was right. Right about her best friend, the boy she'd known for almost half her life.

"They're not on the train" James said with a frown.

"Who?" Remus asked.

"Snape and Evans"

"Oh? No, I didn't really think about that" Remus admitted. He hadn't really paid much attention while he was patrolling, mainly focused on making sure no one was causing trouble.

"So where are they then?" Sirius asked.

"Maybe they thought that taking the train was too dangerous" Remus suggested.

"You think Death Eaters might have been looking for them at the platform?" Sirius asked.

"It's possible. Maybe they didn't want to take the chance. And it's not like they'd drop out of school" Remus told them.

"Evans is a prefect again this year, Jess told me, she saw her in Diagon Alley before they went in the book shop" James explained. Remus nodded, a small smile reaching his lips.

"You do realise you're going to have to be on your best behaviour now, don't you?" Remus asked. James shrugged casually, looking sheepish.

"Just because Jess is Head Girl doesn't mean she's going to spoil all our fun" James grinned.

"Mmm, suppose it depends on your definition of _fun_ " Remus said, shaking his head. They really were like a couple of children.

"Hey, just because Snape is off limits, doesn't mean we can't have fun with anyone else" Sirius laughed.

"Plenty of other Slytherins to choose from" James agreed. Remus sighed, he doubted anything he said would make a difference. Some things would never change.

A knock on the compartment door had them all glancing up. Peter Pettigrew tapping on the window. James unlocked the door, letting the fourth Marauder inside.

"Wormy! Where've you been, mate?" Sirius asked him jovially.

"Oh, here and there" he answered, shrugging, "Have you seen Snivellus?" he asked them.

"Can't say as we have. Think he might have missed the train. Why?" Remus asked.

"No reason. Just bored" Peter shrugged again, "What are we going to do to the greasy git when we find him?"

"Nothing" James stated.

"What? Come on, it's Snivellus!" Peter protested "I bet he hasn't even washed his hair for the whole holidays" he sniggered, "Why don't we throw him in the lake?"

"Yeah, good luck with that" Sirius laughed.

"Yeah, if you want to chuck him in the lake, you're on your own, sorry mate" James added.

"What? You lot hate old Snivelly"

"Well, we don't _like_ him, but we're not doing anything to him. We're not stupid. Dumbledore will go nuts if we go after him" James told him. Peter frowned.

"You think Dumbledore will warn you off him again?"

"Definitely" Remus confirmed. Peter scowled. The four of them sat in silence then, no one sure what to say next. No one sure what to make of Peter. Remus had hoped that the holidays would be enough of a break, enough time for Peter to let go of the name calling - he couldn't remember the last time either James or Sirius had referred to Snape as 'Snivellus'. The three of them had simply called him 'Snape' for months now. Only Peter was still clinging on to the old nicknames. The only one wanting to 'prank' him. And Peter really had no reason to.

Remus suspected that, like Snape, there was more than met the eye when it came to Peter Pettigrew. If Snape could change so drastically, anyone could. The map was definitely going to come in handy this coming year, not to spy on a Slytherin, but on one of their own. A fellow Marauder. They would need a way of finding answers, and discovering who could really be trusted. After all, in a time of War, all their lives were at stake, and they could not afford to put their trust in the wrong person.

...

Lily and Severus sat on the steps in front of the main doors, holding each other's hands tightly as they looked out over the school grounds, out towards the village of Hogsmeade. The train would be here within the next couple of hours, the school would be filled with students - some of them friends, some of them enemies.

"It is a beautiful day" Dumbledore's voice suddenly spoke from behind them.

"Yes, Sir. It is" Severus agreed, glancing over his shoulder at the Headmaster. Slowly, Dumbledore stepped outside, moving down the steps to stand in front of them.

"I'm pleased you have arrived without issue" he told them. "This is going to be a difficult year, though, I'm afraid" he added. Lily and Severus both nodded sadly. "How has your Occlumency training been going, Miss Evans?" he asked her.

"Ok, so far. I think" Lily answered, "I have been able to push Severus out of my mind, but not block him out entirely" she explained. Which was frustrating. She hadn't been able to completely stop him from accessing her thoughts, he always saw 'something' before she pushed him out. Severus squeezed her hand, silent reassurance that she was ok.

"That is promising, then" Dumbledore smiled. "Sunday morning, we shall resume our usual meetings, Severus, I'd like you to come along too, Miss Evans" he told her.

"Yes, Sir" she answered as Severus nodded. They'd expected this, someone other than Severus would have to use Legilimency on her to help her develop her skills.

"Try not to worry, Miss Evans. All will be fine" he smiled. Lily nodded, wishing she could believe it.

"I received another memory the other day, Sir" Severus said.

"Oh?" the Headmaster asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Nothing relevant to our search unfortunately. Only confirmation that Pettigrew can't be trusted. I will show you the memory later - unless you'd like it now?" Severus asked.

"Later is perfectly acceptable, Severus" Dumbledore assured him, "I would like to see you in my office after the welcome feast, if I may"

"Of course, Sir" Severus answered quietly.

"And Miss Evans, I understand you have prefect duties to attend to immediately after the feast, but once the students are safely where they need to be, I would like you to join us" Dumbledore explained.

"Of course, Sir" she answered, wondering why she was needed so soon.

"And if you could bring Mr's Potter, Black and Lupin with you, I would be grateful" he added, "There is much to discuss, regarding what they have overheard"

"Yes, Sir" Lily nodded. At least they were being told early on how serious this was. Hopefully they would be in a co-operative mood, though it did seem like they'd finally accepted that they were all on the same side, especially after they'd helped Severus in Diagon Alley. They were finally seeing the bigger picture.

"Good. We do have a couple of new staff members this year. They will be introduced properly this evening, but Professor Trelawney is now teaching here" he told him.

"What?" Severus asked sharply.

"What happened to Professor Hainsworth?" Lily asked, not that it really mattered where she'd gone, neither her or Severus took Divination as an elective. But Trelawney?

"Professor Hainsworth has decided to spend some time travelling. We are fortunate Professor Trelawney was in a position to share her skills with the school" he told them with a smile.

"Skills?" Severus asked suspiciously, frowning as he often did. Dumbledore gave him a knowing look, but neither said another word on Trelawney.

"And the other new teacher, Sir?" Lily finally asked.

"Unfortunately our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was not in a position to rejoin us this year. Professor Ainscott will be covering that subject, I'm sure you will find him to be an excellent tutor" he told them with another smile. Lily nodded, another new Defence tutor, they'd had a new Defence tutor every year. Maybe that position happened to be exceptionally stressful compared to the other subjects. None of the other subjects had any difficulty keeping a teacher, some having been there for thirty or forty years. It was odd.

"Anyway, enjoy the peace, while it lasts. I shall see you both after the feast" Dumbledore said to them with a smile and a nod, heading back up the steps and into the castle.

"Shall we go for a walk?" Severus asked her.

"Mmm. Sounds good. Tree?" she asked. It had been months since they'd sat beneath their favourite willow tree. Severus nodded, standing and pulling her to her feet, leading her down the hill towards the lake.

It really was a beautiful day, the sky was mostly blue, just a few fluffy clouds high in the sky, the breeze warm with a delicate fragrance. Everything was quiet, no students laughing, shouting, arguing. Only bird song could be heard, and the soft rustle of leaves as they approached the tree by the lake. It was impossible to believe there was a War being planned, or taking place, out there.

Severus pulled the curtain of leaves back so they could duck inside, hiding away in their own private sanctuary, not that there was anyone to hide from. Not yet anyway. But it somehow, felt safer here. It was easier to pretend that all was right with the world.

Severus sank to the ground, back against the trunk of the tree, Lily sat between his legs with her back against his chest, leaning her head back against his shoulder. Lily sighed as his arms wrapped around her, enveloping her in a warm embrace, keeping her safe from everyone. From everything.

"You ok?" he asked as he placed a kiss on her neck.

"Mmm. Just thinking. It's going to get bad, isn't it?" she asked him nervously.

"Hmm?"

"Dumbledore thinks it's serious, doesn't he? The Prophecy?" she asked him.

"It's serious that the other side know one's been made" he agreed.

"He wants to see us so soon, he wants to see Potter and Black, we can't go home, he's got that woman _teaching_ here" she rambled on, not able to stop herself.

"It'll be ok, Lily" he tried to reassure her.

"But what if it's not?" she asked him quietly "I'm scared, Sev" she finally admitted. His arms tightened around her. "I'm scared about Occlumency with Dumbledore, I'm scared that Malfoy or one of his hooligans is going to find me - or you - I'm scared our families will get hurt, I'm scared you'll get hurt finding all these _bits_ of You-Know-Who" she continued on, now she'd started, she couldn't stop, feeling tears prickling her eyes.

"Lily, it will be ok. I promise" he told her quietly.

"You can't promise that, Sev" she protested, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She heard Severus sigh against her ear.

"I will keep you safe, Lily" he whispered. Despite her fears, she still believed that, "Everything else, we'll take it one step at a time" he said. Lily nodded, sniffing quietly, determined not to cry anymore. She needed to stay strong, to support him. He was the one with the dangerous job to do, he was the one the Prophecy referred to. He had to 'vanquish' the Dark Lord. But the Trelawney woman did say he would succeed, he would defeat him. She tried to focus on that part.

Severus kissed her neck again, gently, his breath tickling her cheek.

"Mmm" she sighed contentedly, "I love you" she whispered.

"I love you too" he whispered back, between kisses. Lily turned her face towards him as he kissed along her jaw, until finally he reached her lips. She turned her body, reaching to run her hand through his hair, smooth and silky between her fingers, pulling him close as their lips moved together. Lily tried to think only about here and now, tried to forget about what was to come in the next few days, weeks, or months.

...

Severus and Lily had slipped back into Hogwarts with the crowd of students, nobody paying much attention to them as they'd walked amongst them. Anxiety and nerves rising as the noise level increased. The reality that they were trapped in the castle, potentially until the end of the school year - no Hogsmeade visits, no trip home at Christmas or Easter. Nothing. They may as well be in prison. The only way he would be leaving the castle was if more memories came to him, showing him more hiding places Voldemort was using. And that was only if Dumbledore agreed to take him. He'd let him help with the ring, but that didn't mean he'd let him help with the others. Dumbledore would argue the need to keep him safe. Trapped. But safe.

Reluctantly, Severus left Lily's side in the Great Hall, briefly brushing a kiss against her lips, watching as she took her place at the Gryffindor table. Severus continued on, towards the Slytherin table, he'd never felt more out of place than at that moment. Slytherin House was filled with those who would harm him without a second thought. Severus had repeatedly refused offers to join the Dark Lord for well over a year now, that made him their enemy. Logically, he knew that not all those in Slytherin wanted to follow in Voldemort's footsteps, but never setting foot in the Slytherin dungeons made it difficult to determine who were willing followers, who were telling the genuine followers what they wanted to hear to keep themselves safe, and who openly opposed them. Like him. He couldn't risk trying to find out. It wasn't his responsibility to personally save everyone. He had enough on his plate without intervening with every Slytherin. No, definitely safer to remove himself entirely. He had bigger fish to fry.

Severus watched as Mary and Alice sat alongside Lily, the three girls hugging and smiling as they conversed. Severus felt himself smile too, at how happy Lily looked with her friends, radiant as she chatted away. His smile faltered, his worry taking over. Was he being selfish? Trying to be the one to make Lily happy? He wanted her to safe in this War, she'd be safer away from him, she already knew so much. Information that would put her in danger. Would the Occlumency be enough? It would have to be. He needed her, he couldn't deny it. He needed her brightness, her warmth, her smiles, the quiet reassurance that she would always remain by his side, giving him a home, a safe place. If that changed, he didn't think he would have the strength to what he needed to do. What Dumbledore needed him to do For the 'Greater Good'.

"You weren't on the train" Avery whispered harshly, slipping into the space beside him at the table. Obviously choosing to sit at the opposite end of the table wasn't enough.

"What of it?" Severus shrugged.

"You can't hide forever" Avery sneered.

"Who said anything about hiding?" Severus asked calmly.

"The Dark Lord will find you, sooner or later. Then you will join him, or die" Avery warned.

"Oh, I think I'll have a third option figured out by then" Severus told him.

"You think you're so smart, don't you? Half-blood filth, parading around with a Mudblood!" Avery spat. Severus turned to face the boy beside him, a quiet fury simmering below the surface, when he spoke, his voice was dangerously calm.

"Yes, yes I do. You, on the other hand, are not. If you are capable of learning _anything,_ I suggest you start with learning never to utter that word in my presence" he warned.

"And if I 'do' say it?" Avery challenged.

"Then I will cut out your tongue so you cannot say anything again" he said just as calmly, just as icily.

"You're mental, Snape" Avery hissed.

"You have no idea" he grinned, glaring at the stupid moron. If Avery thought he was mental now, well if he kept pushing his buttons he'd show him just how mental he could be. Avery shot him one last dirty look, attempting to intimidate him. It didn't work. Severus shook his head as Avery made his way back to the other end of the table, back to join Wilkes and Black. Little trio of Death Eaters. What joy.

Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall opened, the floating candles flickering in the draft that breezed through. Professor McGonagall led the group of terrified looking first years to the front, where the small stool waited for them, the dusty old hat perched on top, waiting for the sorting.

The hat began its customary song, tales of the founders, the joy the creation of the school brought to witches and wizards across the country, the harmony as the four worked side by side, each with their strengths. It always followed a similar theme. Severus drifted off, it wasn't hugely important. Was it really necessary to divide children in such a way? Who only fit into one of four neat little boxes? Who was the same at age eleven as they were at fifteen? At seventeen? What if Severus was sorted now? What would it focus on? His quiet ambition to make something of his life? The bravery needed in bringing down a tyrant? His thirst for knowledge? His undying loyalty? He could easily fit into _any_ of the Houses. So could everyone, if he thought about it.

 _"While darkness stirs beyond our walls_

 _You must stay strong and true_

 _And unite against the darkest foes_

 _Before darkness conquers you"_

The hat finished. Interesting. Very interesting. Scattered applause broke out around the tables. Severus frowned as he glanced towards Lily. She too, looked more than a little confused, shrugging as she caught his eye.

The sorting ceremony proceeded quickly, the first years looked so small as they perched on the stool, the sorting hat low over their eyes and ears, most of them sorted quickly - just as he had been. The hat had barely touched his head before it had called out 'Slytherin', the same way it sent Lily to Gryffindor. Slytherin gained nine new students that year, all sitting at the end of the table nearest to him, most looking at him nervously, the lone seventh year keeping himself away from the rest. It wouldn't be long before they were warned away from him.

"Excellent" Dumbledore's voice suddenly cut through the hall as he started to address the students, "Now that our sorting hat has performed its duty once more, our four Houses are delighted to welcome their new first years. To all our returning students, welcome back, may your year be filled with knowledge, learning and friendship. I hope you all follow the advice of our dear hat, and unite together across the Houses. A reminder to you all that the Forbidden Forest remains that way - forbidden - unless in the company of an appropriate teacher or guardian. I would also urge many of you to check the list of banned items, Mr Filch has added many more of Zonko's products to it, so do take care. I would also like to welcome two new staff members to the school. Professor Hainsworth has decided to take early retirement in order to spend some time travelling, so we welcome Professor Sybill Trelawney who has graciously accepted the post of Professor of Divination. We also welcome Professor Wilfred Ainscott, who is filling the post of Professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts. I hope you will all make them both feel at home here at Hogwarts. Without further ado, let the feast begin" Dumbledore instructed, the table magically filling with food from the kitchens. Severus ate slowly, picking at the food carefully, appetite disappearing as he thought about the hat, the song, the new professors. How long before 'something' happened? How long until the Death Eaters at school found out about the Prophecy? Or that their new Divination tutor was the one who spoke it? For how much longer would they be safe?


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Lily sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, shifting around uncomfortably, nervously picking at a piece of toast. Sunday morning had rolled around quicker than she'd thought possible, though in reality, it wasn't _that_ surprising. She'd barely slept the previous night, too many thoughts spiralling around her head, along with the fear that she wouldn't be able to keep Dumbledore out of her mind. She was able to push Severus out, but he was only just starting out at Legilimency, maybe he just didn't know enough to really push his way in, or maybe, he respected her mind enough not to force the issue, maybe he was ending the connection before she could truly kick him out. He'd told her that wasn't the case, told her she really was able to do it. But, what if he was just telling her what she wanted to hear, trying to build her confidence? Dumbledore wouldn't do that. And what if she couldn't keep him out? What if she couldn't keep anyone out? She didn't want to put Severus in any more danger than he was already in.

Lily sighed, resting her head on her arms on the table. Really, she wanted to run back up to the dorm room and hide away in her bed. Attempt to catch up on the sleep she'd missed as she'd tossed and turned and worried the night away.

"Hey" a soft voice spoke to her, as a hand gently ran over her hair.

"Hey" she replied, lifting her head slightly to see Severus looking down at her, before settling himself next to her on the bench.

"Are you ok?" he asked as he slipped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him. Lily sighed as she buried her head against his chest.

"Mmm. Couldn't sleep" she told him, "Worrying about today" she added.

"You'll be fine, Lily" he told her as he stroked her back.

"I know you keep saying that, but I'm still nervous. What if I can't keep him out?" she asked.

"You will" he assured her.

"But what if I can't?"

"I went through this with him too. I know it's nerve wracking, but even if does see _something,_ it won't be as bad as you think it will be" he explained gently.

"He is going to see _something,_ at least to start with, isn't he?"

"Yes" he sighed, "But you'll figure it out. Just keep calm"

"So, what did he see in your mind?" she asked him curiously.

"Bits and pieces. Incidents with my father, Potter, the other Slytherins" he told her, shrugging. Lily nodded slowly. "But you've already covered the basics with me. I just think this will help you, Lily" he explained. She nodded again. She knew it made sense, Voldemort was a highly skilled Legilimens, some of his Death Eaters obviously had at least a grasp of the basics. She needed to know how to fight someone who had more experience at the discipline than Severus had. Though she still hoped it wouldn't come to that, hoped the War would be over before they left Hogwarts. Something that was highly unlikely really, but it didn't stop her from hoping.

The Hall gradually filled with students, happy groups moving around talking, joking, laughing. Lily wished they would be quiet.

"Morning, Lily" Mary greeted, sitting herself nearby.

"Morning" Lily replied, pulling herself reluctantly away from Severus.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Mmm. Couldn't sleep, that's all" Lily told her friend.

"Maybe you should take a nap, it is Sunday after all" Mary reasoned.

"Maybe later" Lily smiled. She knew that wouldn't happen, far too much to do, and too much to worry about anyway.

Lily watched as her friend helped herself to breakfast as the Hall continued to fill. Soon, Alice was sitting alongside Mary, smiling brightly and looking almost giddy after an early trip to the owlery. The Marauders weren't far behind, most of the boys giving a polite nod towards herself and Severus, Pettigrew scowling for whatever reason. She could feel Severus tensing beside her, at the sight of the future Death Eater. Or Death Eater from a different time. A different universe. However the whole 'memory' thing was actually working.

"Come on, Lily, let's go" he whispered in her ear. Lily looked at him questioningly, but nodded anyway.

"Won't it be too early to go to Dumbledore?" she asked.

"No, it's fine" he assured her, standing from the bench, offering her his hand.

Lily held his hand tightly as they left the Hall, eager to put some distance between themselves and the strangest Marauder, though not especially eager to reach Dumbledore's office. But maybe it was best to just get it over with. Severus led her through the corridors and halls, up staircases, until they reached the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office. Severus gave the password, revealing the staircase to them. Lily nervously stepped on alongside him, making the slow ascent to the inner office.

"Good morning" the Headmaster greeted warmly "Do come in, take a seat" he smiled, gesturing towards the two chairs in front of his desk. "Tea?" he asked.

"No, thank you, Sir" Lily answered as she took one of the seats, Severus taking the other, still clinging on to his hand.

"Getting all settled in?" Dumbledore asked them.

"More or less" Severus answered.

"Any problems?"

"Not so far" he told the Headmaster.

"Excellent. First of all, Severus, your mother has moved to the protection of one of the families working alongside the Order, their house is well protected" Dumbledore explained.

"That's good. I was worried she wouldn't go" Severus told him. She knew he'd been worried about his mother, at least if she was in hiding, Severus wouldn't have to worry about the Death Eaters targeting her to get to him. Though, living with those fighting against Voldemort wouldn't keep her completely safe. Not that anyone truly was safe anymore, but she was safer with others around her who knew how to fight, than she was alone at Spinner's End without a wand.

"I will remain in contact with the family she is with, and of course you are still free to write to her yourself" Dumbledore continued. Severus nodded. The Headmaster turned his attention to her next.

"Now then, Miss Evans" he began. Lily swallowed nervously as she met his eyes "Relax, Miss Evans. All will be fine" he said with a smile, "Severus tells me you have made an encouraging start" he told her. Lily glanced at Severus nervously as he squeezed her hand. "The only reason I am suggesting trying this with you myself, is because Severus has no prior experience with Legilimency. I will be as gentle as I can, it may be an unusual sensation, but it shouldn't hurt" he explained.

"It doesn't hurt, when Severus does it" she told him.

"Good. Just try and relax, stay calm, in control. You can do this, Lily" he told her. She had to do it. Had to at least _try_ to do it, for Severus. Lily nodded. "Very well. Shall we begin?" he questioned. Lily nodded nervously. "One three then. One...Two... Three... Legilimens" the Headmaster whispered. She felt him slip into her thoughts, his presence was more deliberate than Severus' had been, though as he said, it wasn't painful. Lily concentrated on her breathing, her mind staying blank as she felt him trying to pull memories forwards, probing to find a weakness in her defences. Lily tried to push him out, the Headmaster pushed back, her defences cracking, memories of home forcing their way to the front of her mind... _talking with her Mum... Petunia calling her a freak... Petunia calling Severus worthless, scum..._ Lily pushed again and Dumbledore withdrew from her mind. Lily sat forwards in her chair, rubbing her face with her hands.

"Good, Lily. That took some pushing to get in, whatever you've been doing with Severus is clearly working" the Headmaster told her. Lily dropped her hands, meeting his eyes again. She glanced at Severus, seeing him smiling at her. Maybe she _could_ do this. "Now, if someone from the other side were to attempt to retrieve information from you in this way, they would likely question you at the same time, in order to make it more likely for you to 'push' those memories to the front" he explained. She nodded, frowning as she thought it over. That would obviously make it harder to hide things.

"We shall try this again, this time I will try to ask you a few questions" he told her. Lily took a deep breath, preparing herself as best she could, meeting the Headmaster's eyes when she was ready.

"Legilimens" he whispered, once more entering her thoughts, "What can you tell me, about Severus?" the Headmaster asked. _That_ wasn't fair. She pushed her memories down, deep down inside her mind, but she could feel him probing. Thoughts fluttered forwards... _Severus holding her hand... Severus reading to her as she curled up against her chest... asking why he didn't tell her... her son... the Elder wand..._ "What do you know about the Prophecy?" Dumbledore whispered. Lily pushed back. The image of Trelawney came to mind... _Trelawney shoving the Tarot cards into Severus' hands... laying shuffled cards on the table..._ Lily pushed against Dumbledore's intrusion again. And he was gone.

Lily was breathing heavily in her chair, rubbing her forehead again. It really was an _unusual_ sensation, having someone in her mind. She definitely preferred it when Severus was the one doing it.

"I think this is something the two of you can work on together now" Dumbledore told them. Severus reached for her hand again, Lily held on to him tightly, glad of the contact, the reassurance his touch gave. "We shall leave it there for today, but I do not think you need to be concerned" he told her. She nodded slightly, a headache starting to brew behind her eyes, physically and mentally exhausted after that experience.

Severus stood from his seat, standing in front of her, pulling her up towards him, slipping his arm around her shoulder.

"Come on" he said, leading her towards the door, back to the staircase.

"Good day, both of you" the Headmaster said quietly. Lily nodded, glancing over her shoulder one last time before exiting the office.

"Are you ok?" Severus asked once they were back out in one of the hallways.

"I'm ok, just tired" she answered.

"I know that feeling" he said, rubbing her arm gently.

"What do you want to do now?" she asked. They didn't have any homework yet, they'd only had one day of classes before the weekend arrived. "Walk? Library? Your room?" she asked, so many options.

"No, I have another idea. I have something to show you" he said, as he continued to guide her through the castle, in the direction of the dungeons.

...

Severus led Lily in silence down to the dungeons, down to one of the smaller potions labs, closing the door carefully behind them.

"What are we doing down here?" she asked him.

"I thought we could do some brewing" he answered. He'd missed it over the summer, there was nowhere at home to set up his own mini-lab, even if there was he didn't think his mother would have let him.

"And we're allowed to just 'do some brewing' now, are we?" she asked with a bemused smile.

"I spoke to Dumbledore, I offered to help brew things, for the War" he explained. "If it comes to a battle, _when_ it comes to that, we'll need lots of healing potions, salves" he told her. he nodded slowly. "Plus, I might be able to experiment here and there too"

"And Dumbledore was ok with that?" she asked him.

"He seemed to be quite happy with it, it'll help boost supplies for the Hospital Wing, or the Order. It doesn't hurt to be prepared"

"What about Slughorn?" she asked.

"He should be in his office, I'm sure he'll be checking in on us at some point" he told her.

"So, what do you want to work on?" she asked him.

"I think mainly pain relievers to begin with. I want to experiment with them at some point though, see if I can find something that helps with regenerating nerves" he explained.

"Nerves?"

"Cruciatus" he'd experienced that particular curse both in his memories and first hand, and it was not pleasant in the slightest - only a feeling of every nerve being electrified, or ripped to shreds, the feeling that anything would be preferable to the pain continuing, even if the only alternative was death. Voldemort and his Death Eaters were especially fond of that curse, whether used in an attempt to extract information, or just as a way of torturing their victim for the fun of it. And there had to be some way of aiding in the recovery afterwards, to help repair the damaged nerves.

"Do you want to help me?" he asked her.

"Of course I do" she answered with a smile. Severus nodded, moving further into the lab, heading to the supply cupboard, removing the supplies and ingredients they needed to begin. Lily joined him at the workstation after finding a cauldron they could use, the two of them working in silence for a while as they chopped and prepared various roots and leaves.

"So, how did you find working with Dumbledore?" he finally asked her.

"Not as bad as I expected" she told him. He nodded, he'd known that would be the case, reality not as bad as the expectations build up beforehand. "But I'm glad we can work on it together now"

"You must have done well" he told her with a smile.

"Maybe. He saw 'some' memories, we both knew he would, but I was able to push him out" she told him.

"What did he see, when he asked you about me? About the Prophecy?" he asked curiously.

"About you, just us spending time together really. But, the Prophecy -" she trailed off with a sigh. Severus stopped his dicing to look at her more closely.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, I didn't want to think about the _actual_ Prophecy, so, I sort of thought of something else" she admitted.

"What did you think about?"

"Well, I remembered you telling Malfoy the Prophecy was just someone giving Tarot readings in the pub, so I thought about her giving you the Tarot cards" she told him.

"That's brilliant" he told her.

"Really?" she asked him, looking unsure.

"Really. You lied to Dumbledore" he told her with a grin, "You pulled up a different memory, showed him what _you_ wanted him to see" he said.

"I don't like lying" she told him sadly.

"I know, but that's the point of this really, concealing information from the other side. Blocking memories is one aspect of Occlumency and is great for making sure they find out _nothing._ But showing someone something specific like that is more advanced, if it came down to lying to Malfoy that way, he'd be inclined to believe that no Prophecy existed at all" he told her in amazement. Lily nodded again as she thought it over, turning her attention back to the leaves she was now crushing. Severus had assured her that she was able to use Occlumency to keep someone out, but she had still doubted, still worried that she was somehow going to put him in more danger. Hopefully, this would help her believe in herself. He believed in her, he always had done.

"Did it feel different?" he asked her.

"What?"

"When I used Legilimency on you, compared to Dumbledore?" he asked her.

"It did" she answered quietly, "When you did it, it was harder to _want_ to push you out, it felt strange having you in my mind, but it was you. You already know everything about me" she told him. He smiled then, she really didn't seem to mind him accessing her thoughts that way. She already chose to share her life with him, sharing her thoughts and memories that way seemed somehow, more intimate. He wasn't sure he would want to return the favour, wasn't sure how he'd feel if she could access his thoughts in return. He was so used to hiding parts of himself, in one way or another. He'd opened up more, shared more of himself since they'd become a couple. But there were still things he'd chosen to keep to himself - some of the memories he'd seen. He'd kept the identity of her son's father a secret for a while, his insecurities convincing him that if Lily knew that the 'other Lily' had fallen in love with Potter, that just putting the possibility out there would be enough to make it happen. That had, so far, proven entirely false. Lily was aware of the alternative and she'd ignored it completely, remaining by Severus' side, their relationship growing deeper and stronger as time continued to tick ever onwards.

Even when she'd proven that she was going nowhere, he'd still not divulged everything he'd learned in the memories. He hadn't told her that Dumbledore had orchestrated his own death - Severus being his weapon of choice. In his memories he'd seen Dumbledore convince him that having Severus murder him was not only the _best_ option, but the _only_ option to get ahead in the War - regardless of the fact he was dying a slow death thanks to his encounter with the ring. The memory Severus had agreed, and he knew he had obeyed. He hadn't seen himself carry out the act, and he hoped he never would, but he _knew_ he had done it. It was something he hadn't wanted to admit to Lily, hadn't wanted to think about the darkness that was potentially residing in him somewhere, however buried it might be. He wouldn't have told her at all if it hadn't been for the stone, for Dumbledore making his subtle suggestions. But admitting one of those items existed - the stone - then finding out about the invisibility cloak Potter possessed, forced him to think about the wand. The wand Voldemort murdered him with in order to master - a meaningless attempt as Severus was never its master.

She'd been hurt, that he kept it from her to begin with. They'd talked. The things he did in the memories hadn't made her hate him - 'her' Severus hadn't done those things. However far he'd come, he still had a way to go, overcoming his insecurities, his worries, his fear that he would do something to push her away forever. After all, the memory Severus had done it. He'd pushed her away, everyone had a breaking point. He hoped he wouldn't make any of those mistakes.

The two of them continued to work in silence, preparing the ingredients they would need for the first batch of potions, when the door burst open, Professor Slughorn bustling his way through.

"Ah! Good morning, Mr Snape, Miss Evans" Slughorn beamed happily, "The Headmaster told me you might be brewing for him today" he carried on. No doubt Slughorn was pleased with that, with himself and Lily brewing it was saving him a job.

"Good morning, Sir" Lily greeted in return.

"Did you both have a good summer?" he asked.

"Quiet, for the most part" Severus answered.

"I heard about your little run-in with Mr Malfoy" Slughorn added.

"Oh?" Severus asked.

"Yes, the Headmaster filled myself and Professor McGonagall in on it, and on the Prophecy" he added in a whisper.

"He told you?" Severus asked, not sure why Dumbledore would have told anyone.

"Well, yes. He told us about the memories" Slughorn told him. Severus frowned as he nodded, he knew he'd been told about his memories "When Trelawney gave that Prophecy, the Headmaster wanted to make sure we knew exactly what we were all dealing with" he added. Severus was not pleased that the Prophecy had been shared, even if it was only with their Heads of House. "That we knew how serious this was, if You-Know-Who found out what you'd seen, that you knew about the Horcruxes he'd made -"

"Horcruxes?" Severus interrupted sharply, frowning as he met Slughorn's eyes.

"Y - Yes" Slughorn stammered uncomfortably "You know about that though, don't you?" he asked nervously.

"I know that he's trying to make himself immortal, that he's hiding bits of his soul" Severus confirmed.

"Dumbledore didn't tell you? What it was called? What he did? Who he spoke to?" Slughorn asked, wringing his hands uncomfortably.

"No. Who did he talk to?" Severus asked, suddenly realising that there was more going on. Someone else _knew_ about Voldemort's plan.

"Oh, I don't think that's all that important right now. Best to discuss it with the Headmaster" Slughorn answered. "Anyway, I really must be getting to my office, essays to mark, you see. Any problems brewing, just come and get me" he added, bustling through, off to his office before Severus could ask him anything else.

"Well, that was interesting" Lily stated as she continued grinding the leaves.

"Hmm. I guess we know what to research now, though I don't think he meant to let that slip. Horcruxes" Severus said.

"And we know someone else knows about it" Lily added. Severus nodded. It seemed there were still things Dumbledore was keeping him in the dark about.

"And I have more things to talk to Dumbledore about" he added, before turning his attention to the cauldron, trying to distract himself with their brewing. Trying not to think about the fact that Slughorn was also hiding information from him. It seemed like everyone had their secrets.

...

Regulus Black looked around the small room cautiously, waiting for the others to arrive. He didn't like it, thought it was too risky, thought they would get caught one of these days. But it was too late now. He'd done what his parents had expected of him, he'd followed the orders of his peers, he'd joined in with the raids over the summer. He'd earned his Mark. He'd _taken_ his Mark. He probably should have waited until he'd left Hogwarts, but that would have made things difficult for him at home, his mother's expectations that much higher since Sirius had moved out the previous summer. Regulus had more to prove. He had to prove he was worthy of carrying the name 'Black'.

His only task while still at Hogwarts was to keep tabs on Severus Snape - someone he'd spent a small amount of time with in previous years, discussions had on the stupidity of his brother, and Gryffindors in general (which he'd always found a little hypocritical given that Snape spent the majority of time with a Gryffindor - a Mudblood girl, no less). But everything changed last spring. Snape had suddenly acted against the group that had formed, the group with aspirations to aim higher, to want 'more' from their lives than to conform. They wanted to be important. Respected. Feared.

Now, the Death Eaters had getting Snape back on 'their side' as a top priority, like he was so special. They didn't want to harm him, at least, not yet. Merely keep track of him, find out what he was up to, what he was talking about, who he was talking to. Though, that last one was easy - Evans. That was about it, apart from Dumbledore.

Regulus had the hardest job 'spying' on Snape, being in different years meant they never shared classes, and Snape having been moved out of the Slytherin dorms meant there was no chance of meeting him there. His only chance at gathering _any_ information at all being the scrawny, shifty boy from Gryffindor. The boy that belonged to the group that terrorised Snape (along with his brother), the boy that was sick of being in the shadow of James Potter and Sirius Black. The boy who would do anything to achieve a little power. Some protection from someone bigger. Peter Pettigrew.

The door creaked slowly open, Pettigrew shuffled nervously inside, casting furtive glances around the room before sitting at one of the desks.

"What do you have for me?" Regulus asked. Pettigrew jumped in his seat, wringing his hands together anxiously.

"I... I... I don't know anything" he whispered.

"Oh? And why is that? You have classes with him, don't you?" Regulus asked.

"Y.. Yes, but only one day of classes so far!" he protested.

"Mmm. And you haven't followed him at all? Over heard anything... interesting?" Regulus asked.

"N.. No! He uses spells, to stop people hearing his conversations"

"You told me you would work with me, bring me information. We _need_ information" Regulus warned the boy.

"It's not easy, Snivellus is smart"

"He is. And you, are not" he pointed out. Pettigrew recoiled in his seat, "You are sneaky. Use that to your advantage"

"He suspects something though. They all do" he said quietly.

"Who suspects?"

"The other Marauders. They're hiding things from me, they know I've met with you before" he squeaked nervously. _That_ could be a problem. "And they don't want to follow Snivellus anymore, don't care about pranking him. I can't do this alone, I wouldn't stand a chance against Snape!" he whimpered.

"No. I don't suppose you would" Regulus agreed. "If you are unable to get information from Snape, then I suggest you work on my charming brother, the walking ego that is Potter, and that pathetic excuse for a prefect. Find out what _they're_ hiding from you" Pettigrew nodded nervously.

"Then, you'll still introduce me? To Him?" he asked. Regulus snorted.

"If I brought you to the Dark Lord like this he would kill you on the spot, then probably me as well for insulting him. Prove yourself first, then, we'll discuss it" he told him. Pettigrew said nothing, only nodded meekly before scurrying back out of the room.

Regulus sighed, it was going to be difficult trying to figure out what was going on with Snape, but the Dark Lord had ordered it, so he would obey. He considered Snape to be important, for whatever reason. Regulus didn't have to understand the reason, he only had to obey.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

"Come in, Horace, take a seat" Albus greeted warmly. Horace made his way into the office, settling himself into one of the chairs in front of the desk. "What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Well, er, Albus, I fear I may have put my foot in it, you see" Horace began nervously. Albus eyed him carefully.

"Indeed? With whom?" Albus asked.

"With er, Mr Snape" he answered sheepishly. Albus sighed.

"What exactly have you told him?" Albus asked cautiously, there were a few things Horace knew, that he hadn't yet disclosed to Severus - waiting for the time that more memories left him with no other choice, or waiting for Horace to share his own recollection of Tom Riddle and what they truly discussed regarding the Horcruxes.

"Well, I assumed that he knew about the erm... well... the Horcruxes" he explained quietly, the last word almost a whisper.

"Horace -"

"Well he knows about him tearing his soul, I assumed you had told him what it was called!" Horace protested.

"Assumptions are dangerous, Horace" Albus told him carefully. "I did not want Severus researching into Horcruxes, or asking anyone else for help locating information on the subject" he explained. He'd worried that Severus would have leapt upon that word, used it as a starting point to research, if he'd asked in libraries and book shops for information on that topic, it could be dangerous. People would assume he wanted to make one of his own, or the other side may discover what he was researching. Then Voldemort would know his secret had been discovered.

"Do you not think he should have been told?" Horace asked.

"Not yet, no" Albus answered, "He doesn't need information on Horcruxes, he doesn't need to know how to make one, and I have the necessary information we need to destroy them. He knows there are items containing evil that need to be destroyed, and that is enough" he explained. Horace sighed, giving a slight nod. "Though, it would help if we knew how many" Albus pointed out.

"Still no information on that?"

"No, no yet. It has been a number of months since he last had any useful memories come to him. I think he fears no more will" he explained. Truthfully, he feared that himself, despite assuring Severus that more memories would come to him, patience was required in this fight, he worried they still didn't have all the information they needed. And they still didn't have a plan for retrieving the other items they _did_ know about. Patience would only carry them so far in this War.

"That's a pity then" Horace said sadly.

"Indeed it is, Horace. You could help him there, though" Albus pointed out, futilely though.

"He knows Riddle spoke to someone, I may have implied that during our conversation" Horace whispered.

"Then why not 'fill him in', Horace?" he asked.

"I still don't think it will help all that much" he protested.

"But it might. Just think about it, please" Albus said. Horace nodded. "Is there anything else I should know? Anything else 'let slip'?" Albus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, er, no. I don't think so anyway" he answered.

"Very well" Albus nodded. "Good day then, Horace"

"Yes, er, good day, Albus" Horace answered, before pulling himself up out of the chair, making his way back out of the office.

Albus sighed as the door closed behind the Potions Master. It could have been worse, he supposed. The only place Severus could look for information was the school library, and knowing the severity of the situation, the need for absolute secrecy, he knew Severus wouldn't ask Madam Pince for help locating information on Horcruxes. And he wouldn't find any information there no matter how hard he looked, he'd removed the only book containing that knowledge years ago, hidden it safely in his office - and that book should 'never' have been in a school library in the first place.

For now, this new information should change very little, and he would wait to discuss it with Severus, unless Severus asked any questions during their meetings. Caution was still very much a necessity, no matter how much he trusted him.

...

Time seemed to speed up once lessons were once again in full swing, before they could blink, September was almost at an end. All the teachers were piling on the workload, NEWT's were fast approaching, they were reminded of that almost every day. And Severus knew that once NEWT's were over, so was Hogwarts. And then what? War? Death? Another summer holiday before both himself and Lily took the next steps in their careers? In their life together?

Severus and Lily made their way into the classroom, stopping as they noticed all the desks were absent, Potter almost crashing into them where they stood. Confused by the change, they all continued into the room, waiting for Professor Ainscott to arrive and explain. Perhaps he was planning on a duelling session, that wouldn't be a bad idea, though he hoped he wouldn't be paired with any of the Slytherins, Avery would probably fight dirty if he was the opponent. Or maybe it was a prank, and the first thing they'd have to do was either locate the missing desks, or transfigure some new ones.

Before he could comment to Lily about the missing desks, Professor Ainscott hurried into the classroom. So far, he'd proven himself to be a competent tutor - unlike some of their previous ones. Ainscott was a former Ravenclaw, with tidy brown hair and bright blue eyes, who swept about the room quietly in a swish of smart navy robes. He was definitely a better teacher to have for their final NEWT year than the bumbling buffoon they'd had last year.

"Good morning, class" the Professor began. The murmuring settled down as he drew their attention. "Now, this morning will be somewhat practical" he explained.

"Are we going to be duelling, Sir?" Potter asked excitedly. Like _he_ needed more practice. Well maybe he could take on Avery, that could be entertaining at least.

"No, Mr Potter, not duelling. We shall be studying the Patronus Charm, something you should have covered last year, is that correct?" he asked. There were some vague nods, it had been discussed briefly, but little time was spent actually attempting to cast one. Severus had suspected that Professor Billingsby lacked the ability to cast one himself, and therefore unable to demonstrate, or offer any useful information on actually performing the charm.

"Was anyone able to produce a corporeal Patronus?" the Professor asked. He was greeted with a class full of students shaking their heads. "A shield Patronus?" he asked. Most of the class nodded, a few still shaking their heads. "Then it is a good idea for us to spend some time on this. So, who can tell me something about the Patronus? What is it used for?" he asked the class. A few people raised their hands. "Mr Lupin?"

"For protection, mainly against the Dementors"

"Quite correct, 5 points to Gryffindor" he awarded with a smile "Now, how do we fuel a Patronus?" A few hands went up "Mr Snape?"

"With a powerful, happy memory" Severus answered.

"5 points to Slytherin" he awarded, "A Patronus is a guardian, of positive energy, created using positive thoughts. It is extremely hard to conjure a corporeal Patronus, not all wizards are able to produce one. However, most are able to produce a shield Patronus, which can be useful, although, it is not as powerful as a corporeal Patronus" he explained. The class all listened and nodded as the Professor spoke. All seeming eager to attempt this difficult magic. "Right everyone, spread out, find a little space around you" he instructed. Everyone dumped their bags against the wall, spreading out around the empty classroom, Severus made sure to keep himself close to Lily. "Wands out ready" Professor Ainscott said. Severus withdrew his wand as he glanced at Lily, she had done the same, smiling at him as she waited. "Is everyone aware of the incantation?" he asked. Everyone nodded, murmuring their replies. "Good. Now focus on a powerful, happy memory. Keep it in your mind, keep focused as you cast your spell" he explained, "When you're ready you may begin." Students all around began muttering their spells, some whispered, some almost shouted (like they thought that would make their spells more powerful). For the most part, nothing happened, a couple of students producing faint wisps of insubstantial smoky shimmers.

Severus watched Lily as she closed her eyes, brow furrowed in concentration as she spoke the incantation.

" _Expecto Patronum"_ a wisp of silvery light came from her wand, with no defined shape. "Oh, I thought I'd do better than that" she muttered. Severus smiled.

"You're supposed to stay positive" he reminded her.

"You try it then" she ordered. Severus sighed, concentrating on something positive. Lily. The only positive he had.

" _Expecto Patronum"_ he whispered, producing a shield Patronus.

"Very good, Mr Snape, I believe you could produce a corporeal Patronus before too long" Professor Ainscott told him as he made his way around the room.

"Show off" Lily whispered, though she was smiling.

"You could do it too, Lily" he told her.

"Hmm" she mumbled, not looking convinced.

"I've seen myself produce one before" he whispered.

"Oh? What did it look like?" she asked curiously.

"I want to see if I can cast one first, see if it's the same as the one I saw. And yours. I _know_ you can cast one" he told her meaningfully. He really didn't want to explain more right now. He'd seen himself casting a Patronus a couple of times in the memories, he'd seen himself using one to lead the Potter boy to the Sword of Gryffindor, and showing it to Dumbledore, letting the old man know just how much he still loved Lily Evans, after so many years he was still as devoted to her and her memory. That his Patronus was still the same as hers. He was curious to see if that was the case in this life too.

For the next half hour the classroom was filled with the sound of students desperately attempting to produce a Patronus, excited exclamations as some got closer to producing one that was corporeal. He kept looking at Lily, her face an interesting mixture of excitement and frustration as her attempts became stronger, but still no defined shape appearing. Severus concentrated entirely on thoughts of her, meeting her in the park, holding her hand, running her fingers through her beautiful hair, the look in her eyes as she told him she loved him. He held those emotions tight, as focused as he could as he whispered the spell again

" _Expecto Patronum"_ and the silver doe he'd seen in his memories suddenly appeared.

"Oh! She's beautiful!" Lily exclaimed as the doe bounded past, around the classroom, drawing gasps of delight before dissipating back into nothingness, leaving Severus with a smile on his face.

"Excellent, well done, Mr Snape" Professor Ainscott proclaimed.

"Should have know his Patronus would be a girl" Avery mocked from across the classroom. Severus shrugged, he didn't care, gender wasn't exactly an issue when it came to a Patronus.

"At least you can cast one" Lily whispered to him. Severus nodded and smiled, Avery hadn't even managed to produce the faintest hint of silvery mist. "Is it the same?" Lily asked.

"It is" he confirmed with a nod. Lily smiled brightly at him, his success apparently boosting her mood.

"So, what's the trick to it? What did you think about?" she asked him.

"What makes me happy" he stated, grinning broadly "You" he told her. Her smiled became even brighter then. "Whatever you think about, make sure the emotion behind it is strong. Feel it _completely_ and focus only on that" he told her. She nodded, closing her eyes, taking a few deep breaths, before opening them again as she whispered the incantation

" _Expecto Patronum"_ a silver doe burst from her wand, Lily's eyes grew wider as she trotted around the class in the same way Severus' had done.

"No need to show off because you can do it, Snape!" Wilkes shouted out.

"That wasn't Severus, that was me!" Lily pointed out.

"How is _that_ possible, Sir?" Mary MacDonald asked, "How can they have the same Patronus?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Corporeal Patronuses are rare, I've seen similar ones crop up, but never two the same like that" he told them.

"Is it because they're a couple?" Potter asked. Severus almost rolled his eyes.

"Well, it's not usually related to whoever you happen to be in a relationship with, Patronuses don't change in the same way you could change relationships"

"Well, maybe it's because we have such a significant place in each other's life" Lily reasoned, "I mean, yes, we're a couple, but before that we were best friends, and have been since we were nine" she explained.

"That is a rather significant amount of time, almost half your lives" the Professor conceded. The attention died down after that as their class mates once again focused on their own spell casting, all wanting to be the next to produce a Patronus.

Severus and Lily moved to the side of the room, watching quietly as the others worked.

"Is it the same? My Patronus?" she asked. Severus nodded. "Did you think it would be?"

"Honestly? I don't know. Ours being the same in the memories wasn't down to us having a relationship. I know I thought of you though. Maybe you were thinking the same thing as her" he suggested.

"But I thought about you, us" she said. Severus smiled.

"Maybe that explains _this_ then. We have the same happy memories. You and me. Us, together" he reasoned.

"I like it" she said, smiling and nodding happily.

They watched silently again then, their attention drawn to Potter as he became the next to produce a Patronus - a stag.

"Nice one, Prongs!" Black exclaimed. Potter ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it, looking sheepish as he locked eyes with Lily. Severus sighed. _Typical_.

"Maybe that means you're meant to be with Evans!" Pettigrew sniggered, "Stag and doe, pretty blatant, don't you think?" he asked stupidly, almost bouncing up and down in his excitement.

"Hardly! Equally likely he's destined for Snape, his Patronus is a doe as well!" Black laughed.

"If I'm destined for Potter I'm chucking myself off the astronomy tower" Severus whispered to Lily.

"Snap" Lily whispered back to him. Severus laughed. Potter was blushing as he snapped at his friends.

"Will you all shut up! I have a girlfriend you know!" Potter protested.

"I think that's enough gentleman" Professor Ainscott cut it, "You don't get to choose your Patronus, the form it takes is not something you can control, it's merely a coincidence. Now, back to practice, if you please" he instructed.

They didn't talk much for the remainder of the lesson, both himself and Lily watched the rest of the students with interest, some managed to produce a fairly decent shield Patronus, a couple of others managed a corporeal Patronus. And most interestingly, there was a group of students that were still unable to produce even the slightest wisp. A group that consisted mainly of Slytherins that he knew had Death Eater aspirations. Though there was one other unable to produce a thing. Peter Pettigrew. He wondered if Pettigrew's Marauder friends would notice that too.

...

 _Another meeting was coming to an end, the Dark Lord pleased with the progress the new recruits were making. The random attacks on the families of Muggleborn witches and wizards, the torture, the death, exciting their Master enormously._

 _Severus himself was gaining notoriety among the Circle, an excellent fighter and formidable brewer, he'd wasted no time in showing the rest of the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord exactly how useful he could be. He'd worked tirelessly to shift the taint of his Muggle father, to rid himself of the label of 'victim'. He would never be a victim again. He would rise through the ranks exactly as he'd planned. Some things 'would' go right in his life._

 _Two familiar colleagues - Lucius Malfoy and Rodolphus Lestrange - approached him, their wives - the Black sisters - simpering around the Dark Lord's throne. Well, Bellatrix was fawning over him, Narcissa was too proud for that kind of behaviour in public._

 _"Ah, good evening, Severus" Lucius greeted him, a slight smile gracing his features._

 _"Good evening, gentlemen" Severus responded calmly, "It seems our efforts have been appreciated"_

 _"Indeed, Severus. Our Master is most pleased with the Prophecy you delivered to him" Lucius told him._

 _"Very pleased" Severus confirmed with a satisfied smirk. It was utter bollocks of course. Prophecies. They meant nothing. But the Dark Lord thought it was of the utmost importance. Someone could defeat him? Never. All they had to do was wait until the end of July and figure out 'who' the Prophecy referred to, and then take him out of the equation. Job done. Easy._

 _"Well, not everyone is pleased with you" Rodolphus pointed out, though looking faintly amused as he did._

 _"Is that so?" Severus asked._

 _"Don't mind him, Severus" Lucius said._

 _"Bellatrix is feeling rather put out. She fears you are to take her place as His new favourite" Rodolphus explained._

 _"I'm sure she will take it up with the Dark Lord if she has any issues with me" Severus pointed out._

 _"I've told her she need not worry, she will always be his 'favourite'" Rodolphus said, rolling his eyes. Severus snorted in amusement. 'Favourite' indeed, she was particularly sadistic, even by Death Eater standards. "I mean, there are certain Pureblood families, names that will always carry certain 'advantages' - no offence, Snape"_

 _"None taken" Severus replied. He would have to carry the shame of his heritage forever, would just have to work that bit harder to prove his worth._

 _"I know, and you've done exceptionally well, despite your name. But Bellatrix will always distrust those with Muggle in their blood"_

 _"And how exactly do you think 'I' feel about that?" Severus asked pointedly, "Like I had any control over who my mother decided to breed with?" he added._

 _"All I'm saying is, it is unlikely for her to trust you, as the Dark Lord does. She does not like a Half Blood being trusted in the same way the Purebloods"_

 _"She knows our Master has a higher level of trust in her and myself than any others, Rodolphus" Lucius added._

 _"True, why else would he trust us with his artefacts?" Rodolphus agreed._

 _"Artefacts?" Severus asked._

 _"Not something we should discuss. With anyone" Lucius pointed out to Rodolphus._

 _"I doubt Severus will say anything, he's our man through and through" Rodolphus added, "Isn't that right?"_

 _"Quite correct" Severus confirmed._

 _"Be that as it may, discretion is still advised, Rodolphus" Lucius whispered, before stalking away in a swish of finery._

 _"Don't know what he's so uptight for, he's as trusted as we are. The Dark Lord entrusted an object, an old artefact, to the care of myself and Bellatrix" Rodolphus told him, despite being warned against it. "A cup, or a goblet, or something. It doesn't look much to tell the truth. I think it might be a family heirloom" he told him with a shrug._

 _"I suppose all that matters is your obedience, Rodolphus, same as any of us"_

 _"Of course. Our Master says to protect it at the Manor house, and protect it we shall. And not a word, to the others" he added, almost as an afterthought._

 _"Well, if all goes according to His plan, I shall soon be positioned at Hogwarts. Though, I can't say I'm looking forward to spending my time around 'children'" he sneered, "It would be useful to see what I can find out about Dumbledore, see how trusting the old fool really is" Severus smirked. Yes, he'd already approached Dumbledore once, and overheard the Prophecy their Master was so delighted with. He'd been rejected for the position once, but the Dark Lord insist he try again, now that the summer was approaching, the impression he'd left with Dumbledore wearing off. Severus was worried his attempt to obtain a teaching position would be pointless, but the Dark Lord didn't tolerate disobedience, or failure, and Severus still had a lot to prove._


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

"So, it seems we have confirmation about Hufflepuff's Cup, Severus" Dumbledore said, with a pleased expression on his face.

"If he was telling the truth" Severus pointed out. On the surface, it seemed a rather fortunate memory, but exactly how trustworthy were genuine Death Eaters? Surely they wouldn't think twice about lying to anyone - except maybe the Dark Lord. No one would manage that. _No one except the 'other' Severus, anyway._

"I can understand your scepticism, Severus, but I believe we should treat it as the truth" he pointed out.

"I guess we haven't got anything else to go on" Severus shrugged. Which they didn't. It had almost seemed as though the memories had stopped, the last useful memory being months ago, well before the summer holidays, the only dream since then pointing out not to trust Pettigrew - which they'd figured out for themselves anyway.

"If nothing else, I would say it confirms Hufflepuff's Cup, I know we 'suspected' it, but now we know for definite that we need to look for it"

"He did mention that himself and Malfoy were given _artefacts_ to look after for Voldemort"

"And we know Lucius Malfoy was entrusted with the Diary - and what the Diary contained" Dumbledore added.

"We also know that Malfoy never had any idea what the Diary genuinely contained" Severus continued.

"And based on that conversation, I would wager that the Lestrange's had no idea either"

"He should have at least known what the item itself was - that it was a Founder's object. He spoke so flippantly about it, he only cared that they were tasked with protecting it, he didn't care what it was" Severus pointed out. If Lestrange had known it was a piece of his Master's soul, he would have hidden it well, he would have spoken of it with more reverence - if he'd spoken about it at all. Perhaps he'd only spoken of it because he assumed it to be worthless.

"Though it's hidden somewhere just as difficult to gain access to as the Diary" Severus added.

"Unfortunately, yes. Two items under the protection of two of his biggest supporters - the Diary at Malfoy Manor, the Cup at the Lestrange's Manor" Dumbledore agreed.

"So we're still no closer to actually retrieving these pieces, and no closer to figuring out how many others there are" Severus said with a scowl. For all the things they _did_ know, there were so many more they _didn't._ And it was frustrating. Time was ticking onwards and they were no closer now than they were six months ago. How long before they had the information they needed?

"I think for now, we're going to have to make some educated guesses, Severus"

"Don't you think that's a bit risky? Guesses? What if we're wrong?" Severus asked. Dumbledore was the one who kept saying 'assumptions were dangerous', now he wanted to start taking guesses?

"Then no one will know except us" he told him with a smile, "You asked before, if he could have used objects from the other Founders"

"Well, it would make sense. He seems to like things that make him seem important" Severus nodded.

"Indeed. The Founders were the greatest of their day, this very school stands as a testament to their abilities, all these centuries later. Being descended from Slytherin, he already felt himself greater and more powerful than other wizards and witches. Perhaps making use of the Founders most treasured items cemented that belief further" Dumbledore theorised.

"Mmm, so we could be looking for items belonging to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, then?" Severus asked.

"Perhaps. The most famous relic of Godric Gryffindor's was the sword" Dumbledore pointed out.

"Which we know was used to destroy the Ring and the Locket" Severus said.

"Yes, so not likely to be housing a piece of Lord Voldemort's soul"

"So, something of Ravenclaw's then?" Severus asked. "Are there any objects related to Rowena Ravenclaw?"

"There is one, but it was lost many centuries ago" the Headmaster told him. Severus sighed.

"So, how can he have used it, if it's lost?" Severus snapped frustratedly.

"Just because it _was_ lost, does not mean that it remained that way" he pointed out.

"You think he found it?" Severus asked.

"He _may_ have found it" he replied. Severus groaned, rubbing his face with his hands. It felt like they were going around in circles.

"We will work this out, Severus, but for now, I have a memory of my own to show you" Dumbledore said.

"Oh?" Severus asked as he lifted his face, watching the Headmaster as he stood and moved to his cabinet, placing the Pensieve on the desk before selecting one of the carefully labelled crystal bottles. Severus stood as Dumbledore poured the shimmering contents into the stone basin, moving to join him by the Pensieve.

"Shall we, Severus?" Dumbledore enquired with a raised eyebrow. Severus nodded, plunging his face into the swirling contents.

Severus landed in the Headmaster's office, things looking almost identical to the place he had just left. Fawkes was resting contentedly on his perch, the room filled with trinkets, an almost identical Dumbledore sitting behind the Headmaster's desk. The memory Dumbledore looked up expectantly, as if waiting for something, or someone. A moment later, a knock sounded on the office door.

"Enter" the memory Dumbledore spoke. In to the room came Voldemort, his features drastically altered from the previous memory he'd been shown. He was no longer the handsome boy who had charmed Hepzibah Smith, his face was pale, his features seemed as though made of wax, his eyes bloodshot. He almost seemed at a half way point, between the handsome man he'd once been when his soul was intact, and the hideous creature Severus had seen murder him, after tearing his soul to shreds. It was disturbing.

"Good evening, Tom. Won't you sit down?! Dumbledore offered pleasantly.

"Thank you" Voldemort replied, accepting the seat Severus so regularly occupied, "I heard you had become Headmaster. A worthy choice" he stated, his voice cold.

"I'm glad you approve" Dumbledore said with a smile, "May I offer you a drink?"

"That would be most welcome, I have come a long way" Voldemort answered.

Dumbledore made his way over to the elaborate cabinet, which did not yet hold his collection of memories, only drinks, pouring himself and Voldemort a goblet of wine before settling himself down at the desk.

"So, Tom... to what do I owe the pleasure?" Dumbledore asked. Voldemort sipped his wine.

"They do not call me 'Tom' any more. These days I am known as -"

"I know what you are known as" Dumbledore smiled, "But to me, I'm afraid, you will always be Tom Riddle. It is one of the irritating things about old teachers, I am afraid, that they never forget their charges' youthful beginnings" the memory Dumbledore raised his glass to Voldemort, though Voldemort's face remained blank, he was clearly not pleased at Dumbledore's refusal to call him by his chosen name.

"I am surprised you have remained here so long. I always wondered why a wizard such as yourself never wished to leave the school" Voldemort stated.

"Well, to a wizard such as myself, there can be nothing more important than passing on ancient skills, helping hone young minds. If I remember correctly, you once saw the attraction of teaching, too" Dumbledore said with a smile.

"I see it still, I merely wondered why you - who is so often asked for advice by the Ministry, and who has twice, I think, been offered the post of Minister -"

"Three times at the last count, actually. But the Ministry never attracted me as a career. Again, something we have in common, I think"

"I have returned," Voldemort began after a pause "later, perhaps, than Professor Dippet expected... but I have returned, nevertheless, to request again what he told me I was too young to have. I have come to ask that you permit me to return to this Castle, to teach. I think you must know that I have seen and done much since I left this place. I could show and tell your students things they can gain from no other wizard"

"Yes, I certainly do know that you have seen and done much since leaving us" Dumbledore said quietly, "Rumours of your doings have reached your old school, Tom. I should be sorry to believe half of them"

"Greatness inspires envy, envy endangers spite, spite spawns lies. You must know this, Dumbledore"

"You call it 'greatness,' what you have been doing, do you?" Dumbledore asked carefully.

"Certainly" Voldemort answered, his eyes burning "I have experimented, I have pushed the boundaries of magic further, perhaps, than they have ever been pushed -"

"Of some kinds of magic" Dumbledore interrupted quietly "Of some. Of others, you remain... forgive me... woefully ignorant"

"The old argument" Voldemort sneered, "But nothing I have seen in the world has supported your famous pronouncements that love is more powerful than my kind of magic, Dumbledore"

"Perhaps you have been looking in the wrong places"

"Well, then, what better place to start my fresh researches than here, at Hogwarts?" Voldemort asked, "Will you let me return? Will you let me share my knowledge with your students? I place myself and my talents at your disposal. I am yours to command" he stated. Severus frowned. Memory Dumbledore raised his eyebrows.

"And what will become of those who 'you' command? What will happen to those who call themselves - or so rumour has it - the Death Eaters?" Voldemort's eyes flashed.

"My friends, will carry on without me, I am sure"

"I am glad to hear that you consider them friends. I was under the impression that they are more in the order of servants" Dumbledore said.

"You are mistaken"

"Then if I were to go the Hog's Head tonight, I would not find a group of them - Nott, Rosier, Mulciber, Dolohov - awaiting your return? Devoted friends indeed, to travel this far with you on a snowy night, merely to wish you luck as you attempted to secure a teaching post"

"You are omniscient as ever, Dumbledore" Voldemort snapped angrily.

"Oh no, merely friendly with the local barmen. Now, Tom..." Dumbledore said calmly, setting his empty goblet down on the desk "... let us speak openly. Why have you come here tonight, surrounded by henchmen, to request a job we both know you do not want?" Voldemort looked surprised.

"A job I do not want? On the contrary, Dumbledore, I want it very much"

"Oh, you want to come back to Hogwarts, but you do not want to teach any more than you wanted to when you were eighteen. What is it you're after, Tom? Why not try an open request for once" Voldemort sneered.

"If you do not want to give me a job -"

"Of course I don't" Dumbledore interrupted "And I don't think for a moment you expected me to. Nevertheless, you came here, you asked, you must have had a purpose"

Voldemort rose from his chair, rage twisting his features, making him look less like Tom Riddle and more like the future Voldemort than ever.

"This is your final word?"

"It is" Dumbledore answered as he stood from his own chair.

"Then we have nothing more to say to each other"

"No, nothing" Dumbledore agreed sadly. "The time is long gone when I could frighten you with a burning wardrobe and force you to make repayment for your crimes. But I wish I could, Tom... I wish I could..."

Voldemort's hand twitched for a second, before he turned away, sweeping out of the office.

Severus felt himself being pulled out of the Pensieve, landing back in the same office a second later.

"Well that was... odd" Severus said with a frown, "He'd obviously made a couple more Horcruxes since that memory of Hokey's" he added. Dumbledore flinched for a split second at the mention of that word. _Horcruxes._ Neither of them had mentioned that to the other since Slughorn had let it slip a month ago.

"Ten years had passed between those memories, he mentioned pushing the boundaries of magic further than anyone before - I believe this is what he was referring to" Dumbledore admitted. Severus nodded. So far, that all made sense.

"And he really thought you would let him teach here?" Severus asked dubiously.

"No. He _wanted_ to be here, but he knew I would never let him teach here"

"So why was he here then?" Severus asked, frowning.

"I think we could make an educated guess" Dumbledore said, raising an eyebrow as he spoke.

"To hide something?" Severus asked. Dumbledore smiled.

"Of course, it's only a theory, for now. But I believe that would appeal to him greatly. He viewed Hogwarts as his home, important. I think he should like the idea of having a Founder's object, twisted to his own use, hidden here right under my nose"

"He thinks he is more intelligent, greater, than any other wizard?" Severus asked.

"Precisely. He has dropped hints into his activities, in conversation with myself, and others, believing no other has the intelligence to work out his little puzzle"

"So, you think Ravenclaw's object could be hidden somewhere, here in the Castle?"

"It is a possibility. Of course, I have searched the Castle quite thoroughly, but Hogwarts herself has a great deal of magic, and a number of secrets have yet to be uncovered" he explained. Severus nodded thoughtfully. Was that his next task? To conduct his own search of the Castle?

"If you can't find it, Sir, how is anyone else supposed to?" Severus asked, "Maybe there's nothing here to find"

"Perhaps. But I believe one of trinkets is here. You know what a Horcrux _feels_ like now" Dumbledore told him, "I'm not asking you to search the Castle from top to bottom, merely keep in mind the way Voldemort thinks, what appeals to him, and be aware of _that_ feeling. I think you may have more luck than I" Severus frowned, he wasn't sure.

"Who else did he talk to?" Severus finally asked. They had both used _that_ word during this conversation, both had been dancing around the topic delicately for the last few weeks. Dumbledore smiled.

"I wondered when that would come up" Severus said nothing, merely looked at the Headmaster, waiting, hoping he would elaborate on the subject. "I am aware that Professor Slughorn told you the name for one of these items. It is a subject that is of the utmost evil, purely dark magic. I didn't want to give you a name to research - if others knew what you were researching it could be dangerous"

"He could find out?"

"He could. I wouldn't recommend letting anyone know you are aware of that particular term" Dumbledore suggested "And there is nothing in the library that will give you any information, I removed the books myself years ago"

"Because of Riddle?" Severus asked.

"Precisely" Dumbledore confirmed. Severus nodded. Clearly Riddle had been obsessed with achieving greatness and immortality since his days at Hogwarts, committing murder at least once as a student. And he'd gotten away with it. He was clever. And evil. And that was the most dangerous combination.

"So, who did he talk to about it? Who did he get information from" Severus asked again.

"That, I believe, is a conversation for another day" he answered with a smile. _Of course it was, it was always 'for another day'._ Severus nodded, he knew he was getting nothing more from the Headmaster today. The best thing he could do for now was to find Lily, and hope that talking things through with her would help him make sense of it all. It usually did.

"Good day, Severus" the Headmaster said as he turned to leave.

"Good day, Sir" Severus replied, making his way out of the office, sighing as he contemplated the enormity of the job. _Why did the Prophecy have to be about him?_

...

Lily watched as Severus paced his bedroom, her knees pulled up against her, her chin resting on top with her arms wrapped around them. It wasn't an angry pacing, more a _frustrated_ pacing, like he didn't know what to do with himself. He was restless. He'd told her about the latest memory, the conversation after the Death Eater meeting, about another hiding place that was currently inaccessible. And he'd told her about his discussion with Dumbledore, that he suspected an item of Ravenclaw was hidden here _somewhere_.

"I just don't know where I'm supposed to find it, Lily" he told her, for around the seventh time since the conversation started.

"Dumbledore obviously thinks you can do it" she told him gently.

"But Dumbledore must know more about Hogwarts than anyone" Severus pointed out.

"Maybe" she conceded, "But maybe this is something that needs a fresh pair of eyes looking at it" she reasoned.

"He told me I need to think like You-Know-Who" he told her with a scowl "To try and work it out"

"So, how would he think?" she asked.

"I don't know! I'm not him!" Severus snapped.

"No, you're not" she agreed. He was nothing like him, "You don't have to try and _be_ Him, just think like him. He's clever, you have to be clever, Severus" she told him. Severus sighed as he sat on the bed in front of her.

"I just want some straight answers" he whispered.

"I know you do. But there isn't anyone who can give them right now, are there?" she pointed out. Well, Dumbledore could probably give a few, but he didn't seem to operate that way, he liked to be in control of the information, and of who got to know what and when. "You need to treat this like a game, a logic puzzle, or chess"

"It's more serious than that, Lily!" he snapped.

"I know that, I'm not trying to trivialise it, I know it's War - something that Dumbledore would argue is like chess. You just need to use that way of thinking to work out how to get the answers you need" she explained. Severus sighed softly, for a moment she thought he was going to get up and resume his pacing, but he lay down on the bed instead, staring blankly at the ceiling. "So, you know about four items and their hiding places - one of which you've found and destroyed - so three definites left. And potentially a fourth hidden here" she said.

"We don't know where the locket is hidden yet" he told her, "We know the Diary is at Malfoy Manor, and the Cup is at the Lestrange's"

"So, it could be that the locket is hidden here instead?"

"It could be. It could be anywhere. But Dumbledore seems pretty convinced that _something_ is here, and he has no idea where"

"And he's had years to search the Castle. So, what do we do? Who do we talk to?" she asked.

"I don't know. And Dumbledore still won't tell me who Riddle talked to years ago either" he sighed.

"And you don't want to talk to Slughorn about that?" she asked. "He must know something, he knew about the Horcruxes, maybe he was the one Riddle talked to" she suggested. Severus sat up sharply, looking at her carefully

"If it was him, I doubt he'll tell me. Surely he'd have told Dumbledore what he knows already"

"Maybe" she sighed, "So who else can we talk to?" she asked "Who else knows the Castle's secrets?"

"House elves?" he shrugged, "Ghosts? They've been here for hundreds of years"

"Do you think it's safe to ask them?" the last thing she wanted was for him to be overheard asking a ghost about Horcruxes or finding hidden objects.

"I don't know. Maybe we should try searching ourselves first, put that in the 'maybe' option for later" he said, "We don't know what Ravenclaw's item is yet though"

"I could ask Jess, she'd know more about Ravenclaw than either of us" she suggested.

"We can't tell anyone about this, Lily" he said.

"I know that, I'm not suggesting we tell her _why_ we want to know. I'll just say I'm curious about the Founders, and wondering if there was something associated with her, like Gryffindor had a sword and Hufflepuff had a cup. I don't think she'd find that suspicious" she pointed out, and she wouldn't, Lily and Severus were always reading, learning about something.

"Fine, if you think that will help" he agreed. Lily nodded.

"I'll talk to her tomorrow"

"Then we'll figure out how to search for it" he sighed. That would be the bigger job, if not impossible.

"Well, I know a group of boys who have mapped more of the Castle than anyone" she said cautiously.

"Potter?" he snapped, "Definitely not a good idea" he said.

"I don't have to tell Potter, and I could go to Remus, he usually keeps hold of the map" she said. Severus sighed again.

"I don't want them involved" he said.

"I know, and they don't have to be. I could just ask to borrow the map for a few days, just tell them I'm curious about how it works" she said.

"Do you think they would lend it to you?"

"Maybe. I hope so" she told him. She suspected Remus would let her borrow it, as long as she took care of it and returned it safely.

"I'll think about it" he finally said. He would agree eventually, she knew it. Lily nodded, offering him a smile as she moved from the chair, sitting beside him on the bed.

"Have you heard from your Mum yet?" she asked quietly, changing the subject.

"Mmm, I got a letter yesterday. She seems to be getting on ok with the family she's with, though they have three children and are expecting another" he told her.

"Wow, they must like kids" Lily laughed, that was more than she ever hoped to have.

"I'm not sure she minds so much, really. The kids are all really young, she didn't mind me, when I was that age" he said sadly.

"That wasn't your doing" she said, reaching for his hand.

"Perhaps not" he agreed, squeezing her fingers "Hopefully she'll be a better Grandmother than Mother" he added. Lily smiled, glancing at him out the corner of her eye. She could see he was blushing slightly, he obviously hadn't meant to blurt out that last part. "She's finally got a new wand" he said quickly.

"That's great" she smiled, she was pleased, for Severus and for Mrs Snape. She had finally moved on enough to take a step back towards the Wizarding world.

"It is. Have you heard anything from your parents?"

"Mmm. I got a letter this morning" she sighed, smile disappearing quickly "Petunia wants to move the wedding date"

"Oh?"

"Mmm. She doesn't want to wait until next summer, they now want a Christmas wedding because it will be 'so romantic'" she told him with a sigh. "Which means she gets her wish, I won't be able to attend because we're not going home for Christmas"

"I'm sorry" he told her, moving to sit so he could put his arm around her shoulders, gently stroking her arm as he pulled her close

"It's not your fault, Sev" she told him, shaking her head, "It's just sad, she's my sister, and she wants to pretend I don't exist"

"I'm sure being with me doesn't help, she's always hated me, and not just because of the magic" he said.

"She's the one missing out. She doesn't see how sweet you can be" she told him. He pulled away from her slightly to look at her face.

"I am not _sweet,_ Lily" he said seriously. Lily grinned.

"Yes you are" she argued. A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth.

"Don't go telling anyone else that though. I'm only _sweet_ with you" he warned.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me" she assured him, though she couldn't resist teasing, "I'm sure you'll be a big softie with your children, though" she grinned. Severus rolled his eyes, Lily fought the urge to laugh. "I think about that kind of stuff too, you know" his features softened as his eyes moved over her face.

"Sometimes it feels silly, thinking about the future. How do I even know if I'll survive this thing, if I'm the one who's supposed to take on You-Know-Who?" he admitted.

"It's a War, Severus. Regardless of the Prophecy, we're both involved one way or another because it's the right thing to do. No one knows if they're going to survive. All we can do is hope, and hope isn't a bad thing" she told him. Severus sighed, kissing her gently on the forehead before pulling her close again, leaning his head against hers as she rested against his shoulder.

"There's still so much to do, to figure out" he said quietly.

"I know. But you'll do it, and I'll be with you. Every step of the way I'll be with you, Severus" she assured him. She could feel him nodding gently. He knew she would be there with him, and she knew he would win, she could feel it deep inside her. Severus would win.

 **A/N Part of the chapter based on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Lord Voldemort's Request.**


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Lily sat in one of the squashy armchairs in the Gryffindor common room, watching, waiting for the group of boys she needed. She needed their help. Severus needed their help, even if he was loathe to admit it. They needed to try and move forwards, the scraps of information he was getting in his memories wasn't giving him much to go on.

Remus Lupin was the first to enter the common room, settling himself on one of the nearby sofa's, shuffling a few pieces of parchment in his hands, no doubt refreshing his memory before today's classes. Potter was next in the room, dropping down onto the sofa beside Lupin in a dramatic fashion. Lily took a deep breath before making her way over to them, standing in front of them.

Potter glanced up at her first, smiling pleasantly as he met her eyes.

"All right, Evans?" he asked in a friendly tone, not the flirtatious attitude he'd taken in previous years.

"Morning, Lily" Remus greeted quietly, a quick glance up at her before turning his attention back to his stack of notes.

"All right? I need to ask you two a favour" she whispered, glancing around the room cautiously. Potter frowned for an instant, before gesturing for her to take a seat. Lily nodded, moving to sit in between Potter and Lupin as they shuffled to make space. She took another deep breath, casting a quiet _Muffliato_ before making her request, making sure Pettigrew couldn't eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Ask away then, Evans" Potter said.

"I need to know more about the Castle" she told them.

"Any particular reason?" Potter asked.

"Just curious" she shrugged.

"Yeah, not buying that" he laughed. She rolled her eyes, she should have known _that_ wouldn't work.

"You guys know the Castle better than any other students, right? And probably half the teaching staff" she said.

"Now _that_ is correct" Potter grinned.

"Well, you'd know about hiding places, right?"

"Hiding places, eh? Not enough that he's got his own room for you to do _that_ in?" Potter teased.

"If you could get your head out of the gutter for once, that would help, you know" she shot back. Potter laughed. "If you wanted to hide something where no one would find it, you'd know how, wouldn't you?" she posed.

"Well, yeah. I mean, there's loads of unused areas of the Castle" he began.

"But other people could stumble upon them accidentally. There has to be areas no one else knows about"

"There are a few hidden passages" Lupin suggested. "I've never heard anyone mention those, though I can't guarantee no one _does_ know about them" he added.

"So what do you want to hide?" Potter asked.

"Nothing" she answered quickly.

"Just curious, yeah" he replied.

"Can I borrow your map?" she whispered, closing her eyes, bracing herself for their reaction.

"What?" Potter asked.

"You heard me. Please. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. Just for a few days" she hated the pleading tone that crept into her voice.

"What do you want the map for?" Potter asked. Lily sighed.

"I know you're probably going to say 'no', but..." she trailed off.

"We've never lent the map to anyone before" Potter told her, looking nervous.

"I'll look after it" she told him, "Please"

"Is this about Snape?" Remus asked.

"Sort of" she answered.

"So naturally, it's all top secret, you can't say a word" Potter added.

"You know I can't" she answered, shaking her head. She couldn't tell them any more than that, they already knew far more than they really should.

"I think we should let them borrow it, James" Remus finally said. Potter's eyes widened, as if struggling with his friends suggestion, before he too, nodded in agreement.

"Just for a few days, right?" he asked.

"Just a few days, I won't let anyone else see it apart from Severus" she confirmed.

"Right" Potter nodded. Remus put his notes down on the table, rummaging in his bag until he withdrew the folded piece of parchment she'd seen before.

"You know how it works" Remus stated as he handed it to her.

"She does?" Potter asked sharply.

"I do" she nodded, resisting the urge to smirk, Severus would smirk - this would amuse him enormously.

"Since when?" Potter asked, frowning and folding his arms.

"Long story, James" Remus answered, also looking like he wanted to laugh. Potter's shoulders slumped as he tried to work out exactly how much he'd missed during the time he'd spent hating Severus. Lily stood, wanting to leave before anyone else arrived in the common room.

"Thanks, for this" she told them both, stashing the map in her robes, "I'll take good care of it" she assured Potter, "And not a word to anyone, about this" she reminded them.

"Yeah, I know, no talking" Potter nodded, rolling his eyes. She had to remind them, so much was at stake.

"Don't worry, we won't tell him" Remus assured her. Pettigrew. He couldn't know. Lily nodded again.

"Thanks" with that, she lifted the _Muffliato_ , moving to retrieve her bag from where she'd left it by the fire, before heading out of the common room, down to the Great Hall in search of two people. Severus, and Jessica.

...

"So, she already knows how to work the map?" James asked him as soon as Lily had left the room. Remus sighed.

"Yes, she knows about the map" he agreed.

"Why?"

"She overheard us using it in here one day, spying on Snape" he said, meeting his friends eyes evenly "She asked me about it" he told him. James sighed.

"We don't really need to talk about _that_ anymore, do we?" James asked, looking guilty.

"No, we don't" Remus agreed. No point going over just how wrong they'd been about Snape. Snape had changed, James and Sirius had now accepted that he'd changed. There was nothing to be gained by going over their past behaviour now. They'd learned their lesson.

They could hear footsteps coming down the stairs from the boys dorms, Sirius' voice carrying towards them.

"Not a word to Peter, about the map" Remus warned. James looked annoyed, but nodded.

"All right, chaps?" Sirius asked as he dropped down into one of the chairs.

"All right, Padfoot? Wormy?" James asked as the other boy took a seat.

"Not still going over your Defence notes are you?" Sirius asked seriously.

"There's a lot to go over still, I have missed a couple of lessons, you know" he reminded them, rolling his eyes. Every month lessons were missed, Remus had to make sure he kept on top of things, especially this year, the workload was so high. For the first time, he found himself wondering how Snape was coping with the workload, extra lessons with Dumbledore, and the knowledge that Voldemort was determined to either recruit him or kill him. That was surely too much for one person to take.

"What about you, Wormy - any closer to producing a Patronus?" James asked him.

"You know I'm not!" Peter snapped, "I don't even know what the problem is, most people in the class have produced _something_ "

"Professor Ainscott did say it was a particularly difficult charm to make use of" Remus pointed out.

"You two can both produce corporeal Patronuses though!" he protested, gesturing towards James and Sirius, "And I've done _other_ difficult things, just the same as you!" he scowled.

"True, but this is different" James pointed out.

"Don't see why it should be _this_ hard though" Peter huffed, crossing his arms, "I mean, I've got happy memories"

"We've all got happy memories, Wormy, you just need to focus on them" Remus pointed out.

"That's easy for you to say, you can all do it! Even bloody Snivellus can do it, what's he got to be happy about?" Peter whined.

"Obviously he's got enough to be happy about, he was the first one in the class to get it, to produce a Patronus" James pointed out.

"Probably Evans" Sirius snickered "Their bleeding Patronuses were the same, they're like two peas in a pod!"

"Don't know what she sees in him. He'll be joining You-Know-Who sooner or later" Peter told them. Remus frowned.

"I highly doubt that" Remus told him.

"Why? Do you know something I don't?" Peter asked sharply.

"No. Why would you think that?" Remus asked.

"Well it doesn't make sense. We all hated him, right from the start - if anyone was going to go bad it was bloody Snivellus! Then you all just change your minds, and act like I'm the crazy one!" he snapped. "There has to be a reason for that, and I want to know what it is. What are you hiding from me?"

"We're not hiding anything" James said, they would have to lie to him now, "We told you, we got in trouble too many times with Dumbledore about Snape. Some things just aren't worth the hassle"

"Yeah, what with Dumbledore taking such a special interest in him, it was just too risky" Sirius added.

"I know you don't tell me everything!" Peter said.

"You don't tell us everything" Remus pointed out.

"W..what?" he stammered, his face paling.

"What's going on with my brother?" Sirius asked, his expression neutral, giving nothing away.

"Nothing. I ran into him, he asked about you" Peter practically shouted.

"Doubtful, he wouldn't care if I was fed to the Giant Squid" Sirius laughed.

"Believe what you want then!" Peter snapped quietly. This conversation was _not_ going well. "So why does Dumbledore care so much about Snivelly, then? You all seem to know so much" Peter asked.

"We don't know that" James answered, "For some reason, he's paid more attention to him" he shrugged.

"Maybe he feels sorry for him" Sirius suggested.

"Sorry for him?" Peter asked suspiciously.

"Well, he hasn't exactly had the best home life, has he? And it didn't exactly get better when his Dad died like that" Remus explained, maybe they could pass it off as pity.

"There were rumours that Death Eaters were behind that, not sure I believe it though" Sirius added. James nodded along.

"Maybe it's just because the Death Eaters have shown so much interest in him" James suggested. Peter didn't look convinced.

"I still think there's more to it than that" Peter mumbled. "And I'm not as stupid as you all think!"

"No one thinks you're stupid, Peter" Remus tried to reassure him.

"I'm supposed to be one of you!" he protested.

"You are, mate, you're just being paranoid" Sirius said.

"Paranoid? No, you know more than you're telling me, and it's just not fair!" Peter said as he jumped to his feet, glaring at his group of friends.

"There's nothing going on, Pete, just calm down" James told him.

"No! It's just not fair. Look, I'll see you later" he said, marching over towards the portrait hole.

"Where are you going?" Sirius shouted after him.

"To get some air" Peter snapped, leaving the three of them alone in the common room. They all seemed to release a heavy breath at the same time.

"Well that went well" Remus finally said.

"Mmm. So what do we do?" James asked helplessly.

"He knows we're lying to him" Remus said.

"And we know he's lying to us" Sirius added. And _that_ was the real problem. Everyone had their secrets, but they couldn't afford to share Severus'. Remus almost wished they didn't know Severus' secrets at all. But that was hardly fair. Was anything fair anymore? He really didn't know. Things were changing, twisting and shifting gradually. But what, exactly, were they changing in to?

...

"Hi Jessica" Lily greeted, seating herself at the Ravenclaw table.

"Hi, how's things?"

"Good. Really good" she answered happily. Well, they were so far today, "I was just doing some reading and wondered if you could help me with something?" Lily asked. Jessica frowned for a second as she turned to face her.

"What could you need help with?" she asked amusedly.

"I was reading, about the Hogwarts Founders" Lily began, "Well, some of them have certain objects that are closely associated with them, like the Sword of Gryffindor -"

"Or Helga Hufflepuff's Cup" Jessica interrupted.

"Exactly" Lily agreed.

"So, what did you need my help with?"

"Was there anything associated with Rowena Ravenclaw? I didn't come across anything while I was reading, it just had me curious" she shrugged. Jessica looked thoughtful.

"Well, in the paintings she always wears a Diadem"

"Diadem?" Lily frowned.

"Mmm, like a tiara" she explained.

"Oh, right, tiara. Does it have any legends, stories about it?"

"At the time of Rowena Ravenclaw it was said that wearing it enhanced intelligence - that was the trait she valued most herself. Legend states it vanished centuries ago, with Rowena" Jessica explained.

"Oh, that's a shame" Lily said sadly. That wasn't much help, she didn't see how they could possibly search for something that had been missing for almost a thousand years.

"I suppose" Jessica shrugged, "It's only a story though"

"Yeah" Lily agreed. A story. Probably for the best if that was what everyone believed. They wouldn't believe the truth in any case.

"So, how's everything in Gryffindor tower lately?" Jessica asked her.

"Pretty quiet, to be honest. Alice is still practically giddy, and spends half her days with her head in the clouds" Lily laughed.

"Is she still writing to Frank, then?"

"Yes. They bumped into each other in Diagon Alley during the summer"

"She always did like him, didn't she?" Jessica asked as she grinned.

"Yes, but she'll deny that. She does seem pretty smitten now, though"

"Like you and Severus" she teased.

"Or you and Potter" she shot straight back. Jessica shrugged, smiling sheepishly as she did.

"Is he behaving himself?"

"Of course he is, he doesn't want to incur the wrath of the Head Girl" Lily told her. Jessica elbowed her playfully. "Seriously though, everyone seems pretty focused on getting through this year in one piece"

"Tell me about it, I had no idea the workload would increase _this_ much" Jessica said, shaking her head. NEWT work was only going to get harder, and time was going to run out.

...

Severus dashed quickly down the stairs, not paying the slightest bit of attention to where he was going. Not until he turned a corner, practically sending Lily flying. He managed to grab her arm to steady her as she stumbled backwards, thankful that his reflexes didn't completely fail him.

"Lily! Are you all right?" he asked as he stepped closer to her.

"Yes, I'm fine. Guess we were both in a hurry" she smiled at him.

"So it would seem" he agreed with a nod, "So what has you hurtling through the corridors this morning?" he asked her.

"Looking for you, of course" she said, flashing him a bright smile.

"Oh? Any particular reason?"

"Do I need a reason to see you?" she asked in return. He didn't answer, "Well, I don't _need_ a reason, but I do have something for you" she told him quietly.

"Oh?" he hoped it was a kiss. _Soppy sod, yet again._

"Yes, and you're going to love me for this" she grinned.

"I always love you, Lily" he told her smoothly. It was true. He had always, did always, would always love her. She blushed slightly then, making her even more adorably beautiful to him. She averted her eyes sheepishly, before glancing around the area cautiously. Severus cast a _Muffliato_ just in case anyone happened to be lurking.

"I got the map" she told him.

"Really?"

"Remus said I can borrow it for a few days" she told him, "So we can start exploring some of the secret places and passageways after today's classes"

"And they don't know why you wanted it?" he asked cautiously. No one could know they were looking for something, no matter how trustworthy they actually happened to be.

"I asked them about places you could hide, without someone _accidentally_ finding you. So naturally, Potter thinks I'm trying to find somewhere for us to, well, you know" she trailed off, blushing a deeper shade of red.

"Ah. Better he think that than the truth" he smirked, "And they still lent it to you?"

"They did. As long as I look after it, and don't show it to anyone except you" she told him. He could live with that. At least this would help them eliminate some of the areas of the Castle they didn't currently know about.

"I also had a little chat with Jessica, about Rowena Ravenclaw" she told him.

"Sounds like you've had a busy morning" he teased, "Did she have any suggestions?"

"She said that Ravenclaw was always depicted wearing a Diadem - a tiara - that was said to enhance the wearers wisdom, and that it disappeared without a trace, supposedly with Ravenclaw herself" she explained. Severus nodded, frowning as he did.

"That fits with something Dumbledore said, that just because something _was_ lost, doesn't mean that it remained that way" he told her.

"Dumbledore thinks You-Know-Who found the Diadem, hid a bit of himself in it, then hid it here?" she asked.

"Right under Dumbledore's nose. You-Know-Who would like that idea, it makes it seem as though he can outsmart Dumbledore"

"Hmm" Lily frowned. "So all we need to do is find it here, somewhere in the Castle. Easy" she shrugged.

"Yeah, easy" he replied sarcastically. It was not going to be easy at all. "Well at least we've got something to start with, thanks to you" he told her, reaching for her hand.

"I told you, Sev, we'll figure it out together" she smiled, squeezing his fingers.

"Together" he agreed. They could do this, they _would_ do this. "Though for now, we need to be getting to Transfiguration before we're late and McGonagall gives us detention" he added. Lily nodded, turning to head back the way she had come, Severus falling into step alongside her, still holding her hand tightly, hurriedly heading in the direction of the Transfiguration classroom. There may be a War building rapidly out there in the world, but here in the Castle, they still had NEWT's to get through. And scarily, he thought the NEWT's that every student dreaded, would probably be the easiest task they had to face this year.


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Severus paced the Headmaster's office. He seemed to do that a lot lately. Pace. Whether he was alone, with Lily, or with Dumbledore, he seemed to pace as he thought everything through. The constant movement of his body seeming to aid the movement of his thoughts, until his body and his mind were too tired to do anything except sleep.

He knew it worried Lily, but he couldn't stop himself. And she'd given up trying to get him to sit still, merely shifted her focus to making sure he ate at mealtimes. He knew she only did it because she cared, she wanted him safe, and for that, he was grateful.

Dumbledore was sat at his desk, fingers steepled as he rested his elbows on the table, his chin delicately atop. Watching. Watching Severus curiously, in silence, as if trying to decide what exactly they should discuss today. Very little had been revealed recently, either by Dumbledore, or the memories that reached his dreams. And Severus wasn't sure exactly what questions he should be asking. He knew Dumbledore had information he wasn't sharing with him - it seemed like the Headmaster would keep silent until other factors left him with no alternative.

"So, I gather you and Miss Evans have had a rather busy week" Dumbledore finally spoke, his voice quiet. Severus sat down in his usual chair, probably only for a minute until his frustrations had him pacing again.

"There is much to do, NEWT's fast approaching" Severus shrugged. This conversation wasn't about NEWT's and they both knew it. Severus didn't miss the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes.

"Indeed" the Headmaster smiled, "NEWT's aside, you and Miss Evans believe you know what you're searching for?"

"We've made an... educated guess" Severus told him.

"Enlighten me, if you would. Let us see how similar our guesses are" Dumbledore requested pleasantly. Severus sighed.

"An object of Rowena Ravenclaw's" he told him.

"Go on"

"The lost Diadem. I think he would like the idea of taking an important piece of Hogwarts' history, turning it to suit his own needs, and hiding it here, under your nose" Severus explained. Dumbledore nodded and smiled.

"That, I believe, would appeal to him greatly. A way to prove his superiority over all other wizards - finding an object lost for a thousand years, only to hide it somewhere he believes no one could possibly find it. Yes, an excellent suggestion" he told him.

"So where has he hidden it? We've been searching some of the passageways, used revealing spells, but so far, there's no sign of anything being hidden" he told the Headmaster.

"I think he would make it more difficult to find than that, unfortunately" Dumbledore admitted.

"So where do I look next?" Severus asked, standing to resume his pacing again, "On top of the towers? Where else is inaccessible? Any other hidden chambers? I don't fancy going on a hunt anywhere near a Basilisk" he told him.

"There are no other legends of hidden places, that I am aware of. But therein lies the problem, _that I am aware of"_ he told him. Of course there could be areas he 'wasn't' aware of, but he wouldn't know that. Obviously. Severus was getting a headache, not for the first time since this mess started.

"Today, I have something else to share with you, Severus"

"Oh?"

"I too, have been trying to piece things together, obtain _information_ that will help us, help _you_ in this"

Severus looked at him sharply, waiting, watching as Dumbledore stood, retrieving the Pensieve and one of the carefully labelled crystal bottles, before placing them both on the desk.

"I know there is much you are curious about, about this quest, and about Tom Riddle" Dumbledore began "Please, do not think I keep things from you because I do not trust you - that is not the case" Severus nodded before looking away, eyes fixed on the Pensieve. "Things are complicated, Severus. The person Riddle spoke to is... ashamed, at what he told him, the questions he answered. I need answers from him - for your sake. I do not want you going to him yourself, it could... panic him" he finished.

"Professor Slughorn?" Severus asked. Dumbledore nodded, pouring the contents of the phial into the Pensieve.

"Shall we?" Dumbledore asked, gesturing to the Pensieve. Severus nodded, moving over to the desk, obviously questions would be dealt with _after_ whatever they were about to view.

Severus made the familiar journey through the silver mist, tumbling until his feet landed firmly in front of Horace Slughorn. Younger, and not quite as portly as nowadays, but definitely Slughorn, holding court at what appeared to be one of his 'Slug Club' meetings. Severus groaned, he hated those, and he was supposed to be at one this evening.

Severus glanced around Slughorn's office, Slughorn himself reclining in an ornately upholstered chair, rummaging through a box of crystallised pineapple. Severus felt sick. Six other boys were sitting around, including Tom Riddle. Riddle looked perfectly content, at ease as he draped his arm casually over the arm of the chair. Severus' eye was immediately drawn to Riddle's hand - Marvolo's ugly black and gold ring sat upon one of his fingers. Still at Hogwarts and he'd already murdered multiple times.

"Sir, is it true that Professor Merrythought is retiring?" Riddle asked curiously.

"Tom, Tom if I knew I couldn't tell you" Slughorn answered, wagging a finger at him "I must say, I'd like to know where you get your information, boy, more knowledgeable than half the staff, you are" The boys laughed while Riddle smiled. Severus could take a guess at _how_ he got his information, and no doubt Dumbledore could too.

"What with your uncanny ability to know things you shouldn't, and your careful flattery of the people who matter - thank you for the pineapple, by the way, you're quite right, it is my favourite -"

"Severus frowned at the Headmaster as the office seemed to disappear, the room filling with a thick, white fog.

" - _you'll go wrong, boy, mark my words"_ Slughorn's voice cut through the mist.

Just as suddenly, the fog cleared, the office appearing exactly as it did, no one seeming aware that anything had happened.

"Good gracious, is it that time already?" Slughorn asked as the clock chimed eleven "You'd better get going, boys, or we'll all be in trouble. Lestrange, I want your essay by tomorrow or it's detention. Same goes for you, Avery" Severus frowned as he heard familiar names, no doubt relatives of the newer Death Eaters.

Slughorn pulled himself out of his chair, heading over to his desk as the boys filed out of the office, leaving Riddle as the last one alone with the Professor.

"Look sharp, Tom. You don't want to get caught out of bed out of hours, and you a prefect..."

"Sir, I wanted to ask you something"

"Ask away, then, m'boy, ask away..."

"Sir, I wondered what you know about... about Horcruxes?" Riddle asked. The dense fog filled the office once again, obscuring everything except for Dumbledore. Slughorn's voice boomed out again.

 _"I don't know anything about Horcruxes and I wouldn't tell you if I did! Now get out of here at once and don't let me catch you mentioning them again!"_

"And that, is where we leave" Dumbledore told him. A second later, they were both back in the Headmaster's office.

"So, he asked Professor Slughorn about Horcruxes?" Severus asked.

"He did" Dumbledore confirmed.

"But that... that memory, it's not really how it happened, is it?" Severus asked with a frown. It certainly seemed different to the others they'd viewed.

"That memory has been tampered with, altered. I believe he is ashamed of what he discussed with Riddle, ashamed that Riddle was able to use his charm to get the answers he was looking for"

"And he won't tell you what really happened?"

"Not yet. I believe he's close to divulging the true memory. But so far, he does not believe it will be of much assistance to us"

"And what do you think, Sir?" Severus asked, surely there was a reason for it.

"I believe it could be one of the most important pieces of the puzzle there is. I believe it could tell us how many Horcruxes he intended to create" Dumbledore said seriously.

"So why not get it by force? Demand he tells you?" Severus snapped. Lives were depending on this.

"Sometimes patience is necessary, Severus, and force can do more harm than good" he told him. Severus sighed. "I share this with you today, to show you what, exactly, I am working on. I do not want you going to Professor Slughorn about this. Do not ask him unnecessary questions" the Headmaster warned. That was easier said than done. Severus nodded reluctantly.

"But Professor Slughorn could confirm how near, or how far away we are from the end" Severus said quietly.

"In theory, yes." Dumbledore agreed. Severus sighed. It was going to be difficult to be patient. "Now, I understand you have a little 'meeting' this evening"

"Don't remind me" Severus groaned.

"You are not a fan of Professor Slughorn's 'Club'?" he asked with amusement.

"They're awful" he replied, "Lily does not like to disappoint, and if she goes, I go" he added.

"I see. You only go for Miss Evans?"

"Obviously. If she didn't go, there's no way in hell I would. I do not intend to stay long"

"I have no idea who else he has invited" Dumbledore told him.

"Could it be dangerous?" Severus asked sharply.

"I doubt it. But stay on your guard, you and Lily" he advised. Severus nodded, dreading this evening just a bit more than he already was. "Good day, Severus"

"Good day, Sir" he replied as he headed quickly out of the Headmaster's office, eager to find Lily once again. Hoping he could talk her into staying away from this evenings Slug Club. Though he doubted it. He suspected Lily actually enjoyed going, she was far more social than he was. As long as he had her, he was content, he didn't enjoy spending time with others. He knew he couldn't say the same about her.

...

It was a small gathering for the Slug Club this time around, only eight students including Severus and herself, no guests from outside the school had been invited, that would probably be different at the Christmas meeting. She knew Severus was desperate to make his escape as soon as possible. For the first time, she felt uncomfortable at a meeting, and she couldn't say why. Couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Conversation was subdued, no matter how much Professor Slughorn tried to prompt it, he too seemed to be faltering. He kept glancing cautiously at her and Severus, attempted to discuss potion theory, the latest articles in the Potions journals, what plans did Severus hope to develop next, and so on. Severus stuck to one word answers. At the most. His side of the conversation seeming to consist of shrugs, nods and 'hmms'. Slughorn was unnerved by it, and the steady gaze Severus seemed to hold over him. It was as if he knew that Dumbledore had told him _something._ Maybe he did know. Or maybe he was still kicking himself for letting things slip in the first place. Making assumptions.

Severus had told Lily all about Dumbledore's meeting, about the altered memory he had given. And she'd been enraged on his behalf, had wanted to demand their Professor give them some answers. What should his pride have to do with it right now? How could shame compare to the deaths that would occur if they didn't have all the facts. Severus had begged her to say nothing, act as if she didn't know, continue to smile at Slughorn in precisely the same way she had always done. Maybe they could use charm and pleasantries to tease the information out of him, rather than use force and anger. Though, she hated the thought of using similar tactics to young Tom Riddle. And she didn't think that same approach would work on the Professor twice. He wasn't head of Slytherin for nothing, he surely had some measure of cunning and would be expecting them to wheedle the information from him somehow.

Lily spent most of the evening talking with Harriet Fletcher, seated on one side of her, mostly enjoying discussions about various assignments and work for their NEWT's, as well as interesting articles they'd found in the Prophet and various journals. Severus seemed content to alternate between maintaining a cool gaze upon the flustered Professor, and exchanging glares with Regulus Black.

Regulus Black was one that Severus had assured her would most definitely become a Death Eater, if he hadn't already - a sentiment that was very loudly shared by Sirius Black. Sirius was also convinced that Regulus was beyond help, beyond saving from the darkness - largely thanks to his insane mother and her 'loyal support' of You-Know-Who. Lily wasn't sure if anyone was truly 'beyond help', others had said the same about Severus, and he was proving them all wrong. It all depended on whether someone 'wanted' to be saved. If they genuinely believed in all the _Dark Lord_ stood for, then obviously there wasn't much hope for them. But what if they only followed out of fear?

Severus squeezed her knee under the table, getting her attention. She glanced up at him, smiling slightly as he leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Let's go, Lily"

"All right" she answered, still smiling. "Thank you, for this evening, Professor, if you'll excuse us, we still have some work to finish" she smiled over at him.

"So soon, Miss Evans?" he asked, sounding a little disappointed.

"I'm afraid so, Sir. You know how it is, so much to do, so little time" she told him as she stood from her chair, Severus following her.

"Well, quite. Time does march ever onwards, does it not?" he grinned broadly. "See you both in class, I assume I do not need to remind you to bring your essays"

"Oh don't worry, we always have our Potions essays done, can't be falling behind in our favourite subject" she smiled back.

"Well, quite right" he agreed happily "Good night, both of you"

"Good night, Sir" she answered, as Severus took her hand, leading her from the room.

They had barely turned the corner before a voice called out to them from behind.

"Wait up, Snape. I want a word"

"What do you want, Black?" Severus snapped, turning to face their follower.

"Just a word, that's all" he answered. Lily glanced nervously between the two.

"Mmm, about what?" Severus asked.

"Whatever you talk about with Dumbledore" Black stated calmly. Severus rolled his eyes as he turned away again. "He wants to know"

"Who?" Severus asked.

"You _know_ who" Black replied, a smug smirk gracing his features. "He will find out, you know"

"And how _exactly_ would you know, Black?" Severus practically growled, spinning to face the other boy again.

"Everyone knows the Dark Lord is _very_ interested in you, and what you discuss. You could make this easy for yourself" Black suggested.

"Like I give a shit about your _Dark Lord"_ Severus snapped.

"You say that now, but you just wait" Black warned, looking amused. Lily barely saw Severus move, a split second and he'd released her hand and closed the gap between himself and Black, and had grabbed hold of the boys left wrist forcefully, Black stumbled for an instant, a look of confusion flitting across his face.

"W.. what the hell are you doing, Snape?" Black frowned, struggling against Severus' grip. Lily didn't dare move, not sure what Severus was doing herself.

"Just testing a theory" Severus whispered, pushing Black's robes up to his elbow. "Well, well, well, what do we have here then? A Death Eater? Does Dumbledore know about this?" Severus asked almost curiously. He didn't seem surprised in the slightest. Lily could only stare, eyes fixed on the ugly Dark Mark on the boys exposed arm. "I would like to suggest you keep yourself well away from me and Lily" Severus warned in a low voice, "And you can tell that pathetic Pettigrew the same!" he snapped.

"What are you talking about?" Black whispered.

"You know what I'm talking about, I'm not stupid! And you're going to have to do better than Pettigrew if you want to find out anything about me" he said, releasing the boy with a shove.

"It's not over, Snape" Black said quietly.

"This? This is over" Severus said firmly, "Come on, Lily" he said, more gently but still looking furious. She accepted his hand as he reached for her, allowing him to lead her quickly away from the dungeons. They didn't stop their hasty steps until they reached the sanctuary of his room.

...

Severus was annoyed. And furious. Marked Death Eaters were in the school. The insane _Dark Lord_ had started marking children, and were trying to tighten the noose around him. Lily and himself were supposed to be safe here at Hogwarts, now there were Death Eaters inside the Castle. Did Dumbledore know? Would Dumbledore tell him if he did? He needed answers, and there were two men who could give him some - but they wouldn't. _Not yet. Be patient._ How the hell was he supposed to be patient when he was Voldemort's number one target?

He was pacing again, pushing his hair away from his face, pulling at it, resisting the urge to pull it out in his frustration. Lily had moved to sit at his desk, reaching for the map. She had that look in her eyes again, equal parts worry and fear. She always worried when he paced. And she was afraid of what he might do. Afraid he would march himself straight to either Dumbledore or Slughorn and say or do something stupid. He wouldn't. But it was tempting.

Severus sighed heavily as he sat on the bed, still raking his hands through his hair, trying to steady his breathing. He heard Lily muttering the incantation, activating the map. It was getting close to curfew, no chance to explore the Castle tonight, and it wouldn't be long before Potter and his friends wanted their map back. Part of him hated that he needed it, they'd used the bloody thing to spy on him for God knows how long, now it was a useful tool in their search.

"It looks like there's only one hidden passage left to search, we can do that in our free session tomorrow" Lily said quietly.

"It won't be there, Lily" he told her frustratedly. He knew it wouldn't be. It wasn't going to be that simple. If Dumbledore couldn't find it in twenty-odd years, they weren't going to do it in a week. If it was even there.

"Ooh, someone's being naughty this evening" Lily said, a trace of amusement creeping into her voice.

"Oh?" he asked, looking over at her "Who?"

"Potter and the Head Girl, tut, tut" she laughed. Severus moved to stand behind her, looking over her shoulder at the map.

"We should send McGonagall after them" Severus snorted.

"Tempting, but that would mean letting McGonagall know that I'm out this late as well - or letting her know about the map"

"If Jessica's patrolling she's allowed to be out, and they're not far from the Fat Lady. Maybe she's escorting him back to Gryffindor tower" he said, gesturing towards the little named labels moving in the corridor on the map.

"Mmm. Hey, where did they go?" Lily suddenly asked, the labels suddenly bleeding away into nothingness as if the map had suddenly been wiped. Severus frowned.

"The map's still working, other names are still visible" he said as he pointed at their own names.

"A secret room?"

"Unplotable?" he asked.

"A hiding place" she whispered "I think I need to have a little chat with Potter tomorrow" she added.

"That would be a good idea" he nodded, almost feeling hopeful, but trying to squash that feeling down, not wanting the disappointment. It might only be a broom cupboard for all he knew, a little nook Potter had hidden to sneak his girlfriend into.

"It's getting late, I'll walk you back to Gryffindor tower" he told her.

"What if I stay here?" she suggested.

"As much as I would love you to stay, you know you can't" he told her gently.

"I just want to make sure you're ok" she said quietly.

"I know. I'll be ok. Come on, before Mary or Alice get worried about you not being back yet" he said. Lily sighed, nodding sadly. It seemed she missed their time together as much as he did. It was easy to forget about the dangers of the War when they were sleeping safely in each other's arms. That safety may only be an illusion, but it was enough. But they couldn't even have that, not now, not at school.

Severus offered her his hand, pulling her to her feet, but before he could lead her away from his room, her arms were wrapped around his middle as she pressed herself close to him, head resting against his chest. Severus kissed her forehead gently, fingers stroking her back, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair. For one irrational moment, he almost told her to stay, but he knew she couldn't.

They both had people they needed to get answers from in the morning: Severus needed to find out if Dumbledore knew about Voldemort marking students, and Lily needed to find out more about Potter's new hiding place.

 **A/N - part of chapter based on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, A Sluggish Memory.**

 **I'd just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has left such lovely reviews on the story so far, I really appreciate your responses.**


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Lily was pacing in the Gryffindor common room, pacing in the way that Severus usually did. Now she knew why he did it. Nerves, anxiety, frustration. Once again, she was waiting for James Potter, once again she needed to ask him for help. For Severus. She hated that they had to keep relying on the Marauders, part of her still didn't entirely trust them, a little voice in the back of her mind insisting that she keep her guard up, don't give them anything. One day they would surely go back to being the way they once were with Severus. She was worried they would betray him, reveal something they shouldn't - especially with Pettigrew still being so close to them. Severus looked like he was desperate to hex him into next week every time he got too close to them, but he managed to keep his temper under control. But she was still concerned. All it would take is one wrong word in front of the wrong person and it would be game over.

Lily sighed as she waited, she'd barely slept once Severus had walked her back to Gryffindor tower. For a moment, she'd thought he might let her stay with him. The logical part of her knew she couldn't, if she hadn't returned to the dorms, Mary or Alice would have sought out McGonagall over concerns for her safety. It wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out where she was hiding. No, they couldn't get in trouble, couldn't draw attention to themselves. So, she'd reluctantly allowed him to walk her back, so she could toss and turn in her own bed. She suspected he'd done exactly the same.

"Potter!" she exclaimed as he came bouncing into the common room. Potter froze where he stood "I need a word with you" she said as she marched over to him.

"What? I didn't do anything!" he protested, holding his hands up to her. Lily frowned, though her lips twitched into a smile.

"I never said you did" she said as she folded her arms, "I just needed to ask you about last night" she whispered. Potter blushed.

"I didn't do anything" he snapped quickly.

"You are such a bad liar" she told him, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at the boy. "Sit down" she instructed, gesturing towards the sofa. Potter obeyed, taking a deep breath as he sank down onto the squashy cushions, "I just want to know where you went" she told him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, meeting her eyes with a confused look.

"I was looking at the map last night, with Sev, and saw your name appear, along with a certain Head Girl" she told him. Potter blushed again.

"Mmm" he mumbled.

"But your names suddenly disappeared. There isn't a room marked there on the map, so where did you go?" she asked.

"Oh" he said, "Yeah, I'm not really sure, to be honest. There isn't a door there, it only appears when you sort of, really _think_ about it" he told her.

"What's in the room?"

"Nothing really" he shrugged.

"Can you show me?" she asked.

"What?"

"Take me there, now, show me. Please?" she asked. Potter sighed. "We're not going to start following you, you know" she added.

"Fine!" he snapped, eventually giving in "It's only round the corner, it won't take long" he said, jumping up from the sofa and marching over to the portrait hole, Lily dashed quickly behind, trying to keep up with him.

A few minutes later they were in the seventh floor corridor, as she'd seen on the map the night before. There were no doors, no staircases, not even an alcove to hide in.

"Right, well, we're here" he told her. Lily frowned, waiting for him to continue "Like I said, the door only appears when you _really_ need it to " he said. Lily nodded. "Make sure you're opposite the tapestry" he said as he gestured towards a rather old and slightly moth eaten tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and a group of unimpressed trolls. "You need to walk up and down three times, really thinking about what you need"

"So how come it isn't on the map?" she asked.

"We tried, but it won't let itself appear on it" he shrugged.

"Unplottable?"

"Probably. Never really thought about it that much to be honest. I mean, Hogwarts has got all kinds of quirks in it, hasn't it?" he asked. Lily nodded, that much was true.

"So, what did you ask for, to summon the door?" she asked, not entirely sure she wanted to know.

"Somewhere we could be alone" he whispered, blushing again. Lily nodded, fighting a smirk. Well, that could have been worse.

"Show me" she said quietly. Potter nodded and began pacing up and down in front of the small stretch of empty wall. A door appeared in the wall, looking like it had always been there.

"Take a look, then" Potter said, waving his hand towards the newly appeared door. Lily pulled the door open, stepping inside cautiously. The room was practically empty, aside from a few cleaning supplies. And it was barely bigger than a broom cupboard.

"That's it?" she asked, "Does it always look like this?" she asked him.

"I don't know, as far as I know this is what it looks like" he frowned. Lily glanced around again, nowhere to hide anything in here.

"Fine. Thanks for showing me, anyway" she said quietly.

"No problem. Hey, you're not going to tell anyone, are you?" he asked nervously "I mean, apart from Snape" he added.

"Of course not. I would say the same to you" she suggested, probably for the best that no one knew about this hidden room, even if it didn't seem to be all that useful.

"Yeah, trust no one, I get it" he added, almost laughing. Lily and Potter stepped back out into the corridor, watching as the door melted away, back into the wall once it was closed.

"We should get back to the common room before others wonder where we've disappeared to" he said.

"Yeah" she agreed, probably wouldn't be the best idea for their House mates to think they were sneaking off together. The last thing she wanted was rumours to start flying around the place, life was stressful enough as it was.

The two walked back in silence, back to the Fat Lady, Potter giving the password to the portrait before the hole opened up letting them back into Gryffindor tower.

"Catch you later, Evans" Potter said quietly, before making his way over to Remus, throwing himself down on the sofa beside him. Without another word, Lily made her way up the stairs to retrieve her things from the dorm rooms, eager to go and find Severus and tell him about the mysterious broom cupboard. On the surface, it had seemed pretty useless, but the door had appeared in response to _Potter's_ thoughts - his request for a room he could be alone with his girlfriend in. But, if the room only appeared by request, what if she were to request something different? Not a room to be alone in, but a room to _hide something in?_

Their free lesson suddenly couldn't come around fast enough - not so they could explore the final passageway as planned, but so they could make some requests of their own, of this strange, unplottable room.

...

As soon as Transfiguration was over, Severus was dragged quickly out of the classroom by Lily, surprised when she started heading up staircases, off towards Gryffindor tower.

"I thought we were going to -"

"New plan" she whispered as they continued up the stairs. Severus frowned, wanting to ask more, but the bustle of students moving around made it too risky.

Once they reached the seventh floor he was surprised that she moved away from the Fat Lady's portrait, leading him around a corner and down a different corridor. For a moment he'd thought she was going to attempt to take him into the Gryffindor common room, maybe try and force him to converse with the bloody _Marauders._ When her direction changed he was hugely relieved, even with no clue as to what the _new plan_ actually was.

"Right, so what's going on?" he asked quietly when she finally stopped, leaning against the wall as she removed the map from her bag. Lily glanced around carefully, muttering a quiet _Muffliato_ before activating the map.

"Good, there's no one nearby" she said as she found their own labelled dots on the map "This is where the room appears" she told him, gesturing towards the wall.

"Room?" he asked, frowning.

"That we saw Potter and Jessica disappear into last night" she explained, "I asked him about it this morning" she said, Severus raised an eyebrow. "I think the room is unplottable, I asked him why it wasn't on the map and he said it won't let itself appear"

"Interesting" he said quietly, and intriguing "So, how do we get in?" he asked.

"You have to really think about the room" she told him. "Potter summoned the door for me, showed me inside this morning"

"What was inside?"

"Nothing really, just a broom cupboard" she said. Severus sighed. Not much helpful about a broom cupboard, even one that was unplottable. "But, I think it might depend what you _ask_ for" she said.

"What do you mean?"

"What if there's more to the magic than it just being unplottable? He was asking for somewhere to be alone with his girlfriend, but what if we asked for somewhere to hide something?"

"I guess we're just going to have to try it and find out" he said. Only way they would know for sure "Show me the room Potter summoned" he said. Lily nodded, checking the map to make sure they were still alone, before she began pacing up and down in front of the small stretch of wall. Severus frowned as he watched her, until a door suddenly appeared. Severus reached out his hand, opening the door and stepping inside the dark broom cupboard. Lily followed him in, closing the door behind them, the only light now coming from her wand.

"Cosy" he said, "But I don't think we're going to find anything in here" he shrugged as he looked around. Nothing but a small shelf with bottles of cleaning supplies, cloths, and a couple of brooms. Lily nodded,

"I think we should try asking for something else" she told him, opening the door and heading back out into the corridor. Severus followed, shutting the door firmly behind him, standing back to watch as the door melted back into the wall, no one any wiser to its existence.

"You try it" Severus instructed, watching as Lily once again paced up and down the corridor. A new door appeared, larger this time, grander looking than the magical broom cupboard.

Cautiously, Severus pushed the door open, gasping as he stepped inside. The room looked more like a cathedral hall, only packed, completely packed with all manner of odds and ends - furniture in various states of disrepair, mirrors, books, cloaks, items on Filch's banned list (apparently other students had accidentally stumbled upon the place in their attempts to hide things from the cantankerous caretaker).

"Looks like you were right, Lily" he whispered as she closed the door behind them "What did you ask for?"

"Somewhere to hide something. I figured if this is where You-Know-Who hid it, that is what he would ask for" she said quietly. Severus nodded as he glanced around.

"I think this could take a while, this place is huge" he said as his eyes swept across the towers of hidden items.

"Where do we start?" she asked.

"Might as well start at one side, and work our way over" he shrugged.

"Together?"

"Together" he agreed. Yes, it would be quicker if they split up, but they had no idea what they would find in here, and they had no idea how dangerous anything was - some of the other Horcruxes had been cursed, or at least had the ability to fight back if they felt threatened.

They made their way to one of the walls, rummaging through the dresser drawers and jewellery boxes, cautiously shuffling through masses of broken items.

"Are we going to tell Dumbledore about this place?" she asked him as they lifted down another drawer of items. Severus sighed,

"Maybe in a few days, give us a chance to search a bit first" he told her.

"You want to be the one to find it?" she asked him. She knew him too well. As always.

"I _do_ want to find it, Lily. But it's not just that" he told her.

"Oh?"

"From the beginning, he's kept information from me, from us. He still is, and Slughorn is. It's not fair" he protested. He knew it was childish, but he wanted to feel like he was in control of _something._ He couldn't make Dumbledore or Slughorn tell him everything, but he could control when _he_ told the Headmaster certain things.

"I know it's not fair, Sev" she said quietly, reaching gently for his hand. Severus sighed, he knew he was just as guilty as Dumbledore at times. He'd kept information from Lily. But that wasn't to protect her, it was to protect himself from the way he _believed_ she would react.

"I'm sorry" he whispered. Lily said nothing, only squeezed his hand gently before returning to the search.

"Have you spoken to him about Regulus Black?"

"Yes. He's letting him stay at school, for now. He wants to act like I haven't told him, wants to _watch him_." Severus spat out.

"What a great plan" Lily said sarcastically, shaking her head.

"I know. So far, Black hasn't attacked anyone, hasn't harmed or threatened anyone at school" Severus told her.

"He's still a Death Eater! He will have harmed people outside of school! He's still spying on you!" she snapped frustratedly.

"I know that, but Dumbledore doesn't want to tip his hand too soon"

"So he's fine with having Death Eaters in the school as long Voldemort doesn't know that he knows?" she protested.

"I know it's ridiculous, but he's thinking about the big picture. The _Greater Good."_ he said through gritted teeth. Lily sighed.

"And we're supposed to be ok with that? Being spied on by Death Eaters? They want to hurt us, Sev! The Chosen One and the Mudblood!" she said defensively.

"I agree with you, Lily. They shouldn't be in the school. If they're marked Death Eaters they belong in Azkaban, regardless of how old they are. Black may only be sixteen, but he knows right from wrong. I don't want him anywhere near you!"

Lily's face softened at that statement, that he agreed with her. Death Eaters shouldn't be anywhere near Hogwarts, never mind inside the Castle itself. And Dumbledore wouldn't kick them out, was still thinking about the long term goals, wondering if any of the Death Eaters could be swayed, convinced to change sides.

Severus moved to her, wrapping his arms around her, drawing her close to him, relieved when he felt her hugging him in return.

"I hate this too, Lily" he whispered. And he did hate it, he hated that some mental woman had declared him to be the bloody _Chosen One_ , hated that a bloody mad man was after them, hated that he felt so powerless, hated that they were both trapped. He wanted it to be over. He wanted to find these bloody Horcruxes and destroy the lot of them, and get rid of the 'Dark Lord' once and for all. That was the only way he was going to get any sort of peace, only way they would have anything resembling a normal life.

...

"Master!" Dobby squeaked as he appeared in front of Lucius Malfoy.

"What is it, Dobby?" Lucius hissed.

"There is guests, in the hallway, Sir. They is waiting for you" he whimpered pathetically.

"Who is it, Dobby?"

"Mr Rookwood, Sir. He is saying he must talk with Master Malfoy" he said, covering his head. Lucius sighed before storming from the room, better to get this over with.

"What is it, Rookwood?" Lucius asked as he entered the formal hallway, frowning as he noticed a woman beside him.

"I have something for our Lord" he smirked.

"I highly doubt our Master is remotely interested in meeting your latest... _acquaintance"_ Lucius sneered.

"He'll be interested in this one, Malfoy. You see, this little lady is the Prophecy Keeper and she's brought him a little present" he grinned.

"Really?" Lucius drawled, raising an eyebrow in contemplation. Well, for once, Rookwood might have turned up with something useful.

"Is he here?" Rookwood asked.

"He is. Follow me" Lucius instructed, sweeping from the hall, off towards the Dark Lord's chosen room. He always closeted himself in the same formal dining room when he visited, always seated himself in the same ornate, throne-like chair.

Lucius glanced over his shoulder, making sure Rookwood and the unfortunate Prophecy Keeper were keeping up with him, pausing as they reached the doorway to the Dark Lord's room. Lucius tapped gently on the door, before pushing the doors open, striding confidently in to greet his Master, leaving the others behind.

"My Lord" Lucius greeted, dropping to one knee in front of the Dark Lord, pressing a hurried kiss to the hem of his heavy black cloak.

"Lucius, what do you have for me?" he whispered.

"Augustus Rookwood has information for you, my Lord" he answered quietly.

"Bring him to me" he ordered. Lucius stood, quickly gesturing for Rookwood to come forward with his _information_. Rookwood swept into the room, greeting their Master in the same way as Lucius had done himself.

"Augustus. What news?" the Dark Lord enquired.

"I have the Prophecy Keeper for you, my Lord" he whispered. The Dark Lord sat more upright in his chair, eyes sweeping over to the woman Rookwood had brought with him. An ugly grin broke out across his face, no doubt delighted at Rookwood's success.

"Approach your Master" Rookwood instructed the woman, an effective Imperius curse controlling her exactly as intended. She didn't show the slightest signs of fighting the curse at all, merely complied with blank eyes as she moved to stand in front of the Dark Lord.

"Do you have the Prophecy?" their Master asked eagerly, desperate to know anything Dumbledore may know. Any secrets.

"Of course, my Lord" Rookwood answered, "Give the Prophecy to our Master he ordered the woman. Without hesitation, she withdrew a shimmering globe from inside her cloak, the contents swirling as if the crystal ball were filled with an enchanted smoke.

The Dark Lord held out a hand, eyes burning in triumph as the globe was placed there by the unfortunate woman. The room was silent, no one dared breath as the Prophecy began to play, words echoing so softly inside the little glass ball. The Dark Lord watched intently, soaking in every syllable the strange woman had spoken:

 _"The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord is among us. Time has cast judgment upon his soul. Wrongs will be made right as the strands of time shift. Memories dislodged from his future's past. He can uncover the secrets of the soul. The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord walks among us"_

Lucius frowned as the words faded, the room once more bathed in silence. It sounded like utter nonsense. It felt like Severus may have been right, a drunken woman in a pub, that sounded more likely than shifting the strands of time.

The Dark Lord let out a low laugh, evil and dangerous. Someone wasn't getting out of this room alive, perhaps all three would be punished for bringing this _Prophecy_ to him.

"Well, well, well. Most interesting indeed" the Dark Lord said. Lucius frowned. He was _pleased?_ "So, Dumbledore thinks he has found the one to vanquish me, does he?" he asked, laughing again.

"There is no one who can vanquish you, My Lord" Lucius protested quickly, eager to reassure his Master.

"Of course there isn't" he snapped in response. Lucius shrank away carefully, this was a dangerous situation. "He thinks he can discover _my_ secrets? Ridiculous!" he spat, laughing again. "Only _I_ know the secrets of the soul, only _I_ who can master it!" he hissed dangerously.

"What is out next step, Master?" Lucius asked cautiously.

"Now, we watch our dear Dumbledore. I believe he suspects the other subject of the Prophecy, he knows who his _Chosen One_ is" he grinned.

"My Lord?"

"Severus Snape. The boy who has deserted my ranks already, the boy who spends his time closeted away with the short sighted old fool! Does he really think I can be undone by a boy?" he growled menacingly.

"There is none who could challenge you, My Lord" Lucius quickly agreed.

"Do not forget that, Lucius" he whispered.

"Never, My Lord" he quickly agreed, bowing his head.

"We must not let the old man know that we are aware of the Prophecy, he will only guard his new puppet more closely, along with the filthy Mudblood he's abandoned his peers for" he said, "Next time Severus leaves Hogwarts, _I_ will be waiting, I will eliminate him myself. He may yet be a powerful wizard, but as he is still refusing to aid my cause, he is useless. You have already failed me with Severus, Lucius, I will not be failed again. I will remove Severus myself, then see what Dumbledore says about his _Chosen One_. Then I will remove Dumbledore" he sneered. The Dark Lord rose gracefully from his throne-like chair, his cloak swishing softly against the floor as he moved. "Now, I have business to attend to elsewhere" he stated. As he reached the door, he glanced over his shoulder, seeming to think for an instant. A split second later, the Dark Lord's wand was aimed at the Prophecy Keeper, Lucius and Rookwood both flinched as he yelled _"Avada Kedavra!",_ green light striking the woman squarely in the chest before she crumpled to the floor, her face completely devoid of life now.

"Make sure _this,_ is never found" the Dark Lord ordered, gesturing towards the fallen woman in an almost bored fashion. Lucius nodded in compliance as their Master continued on, sweeping from the room and manor with his cloak billowing behind him.

Rookwood let out a heavy breath, removing his attention from the woman on the floor, and focussing on Lucius.

"Go" Lucius instructed, no point in having him hanging around as well. Rookwood kept his eyes on him for a moment, before giving a stiff nod and heading out into the night. Lucius sighed.

"Dobby" he hissed at the elf that was cautiously hovering behind him, wringing his hands, ridiculous ears flattened against his head.

"Master" Dobby answered quietly.

"Get rid of this" Lucius ordered. Dobby flinched at his words. Lucius didn't wait for an answer from the little elf, merely strode purposefully from the room, leaving Dobby to do his job.


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Regulus cautiously pushed the door open to the Hog's Head, cloak pulled low, covering most of his face as he searched the darkened room for the men he was meeting.

In the furthest corner sat Lucius Malfoy and Stephen Mulciber, drinks in dirty glasses sat untouched on the table in front of them. Neither looked up as he approached, or when he slid silently into one of the seats that surrounded the small table.

"Any sign of him?" Lucius finally whispered.

"None so far. And he was not in the Great Hall at breakfast" Regulus answered just as quietly. Lucius drew in a sharp breath.

"He will not be pleased" Lucius said with a frown.

"It's not entirely under our control, Lucius" Regulus told him. How could they know when Snape would next leave the castle?

"Perhaps not, but still, he will not like this." No. He wouldn't. The Dark Lord was becoming impatient, he wanted Severus Snape removed and he wanted to do it himself. Someone had had the audacity to predict that the Dark Lord could be vanquished, removed from power. The Dark Lord believed that Severus Snape was the one the Prophecy referred to, and given his close ties to Dumbledore, it seemed the old Headmaster quite possibly believed the same thing.

Since returning to school, Snape had not left the Castle, effectively imprisoning himself in his own room, isolated from almost every student within, as well as everyone in the outside world. He wouldn't be hiding if the Prophecy didn't refer to him, however ridiculous it sounded.

Regulus turned his head slightly as the door opened again, nervous footsteps quickly approached the table.

"What?" Lucius snapped as he looked up at the boy.

"I... I thought there was a meeting" Pettigrew squeaked, recoiling from Lucius' sharp tone.

"Sit" Regulus instructed calmly. Pettigrew gave a nervous nod before quickly taking the final empty chair. "Well?" Regulus asked. Lucius looked at them both curiously.

"He's not coming. Neither is Evans. She's asked her friends to do some shopping for her" he whispered.

"Oh? Are they ill?" Lucius asked, though he clearly couldn't care less.

"No. They're just not coming, said they've got too much homework to do" he told them. Regulus sighed, that was a lie and they all knew it.

"Hmm. I rather suspect they are either too afraid to leave the Castle, or Dumbledore has forbidden his little _Chosen One_ to leave" Lucius drawled.

"Chosen One?" Pettigrew asked.

"Mmm. Dumbledore has some ridiculous notion about Snape being the Chosen One" Lucius said.

"But... but why? Chosen for what?"

"Chosen to defeat the Dark Lord, as if such a thing could be accomplished" Lucius spat "But the Dark Lord has chosen to believe this _Prophecy_ however absurd it is. Which is why we need Severus away from the Castle in order to summon our Master to him. Once Severus has been _removed_ then this Prophecy will be proven entirely false" he explained. Regulus frowned. He'd been told a little about the Prophecy when they last met, but to tell Pettigrew?

"You are still following him?" Lucius asked.

"Yes, still following when I can. But it is difficult to do so, without raising suspicions. He keeps to himself really, apart from Evans, obviously"

"And your friends? Anything from them?" Regulus asked.

"They're still not telling me everything" he admitted. It was obvious the boy was in too deep. He'd thought he could easily run information about Snape, thought he wouldn't create suspicions, thought he could sneak around bringing them useful titbits in the fight, and that he'd be able to gain some kind of reward or recognition. All he seemed to be doing was alienating his friends, they were getting more alarmed by his behaviours. In a few short months he'd lost almost all the trust his friends had ever had in him. It was not going well for the boy.

"Very well. Go, now, until you can bring us something more useful" Lucius instructed, watching as the nervous boy virtually ran out of the Inn.

"He has been even more useless than I thought" Regulus admitted sadly.

"Hmm" Lucius mumbled. Regulus hadn't exactly had any particularly high hopes for Pettigrew, but he thought he would have been able to bring them one or two bits of information about Snape, the little band of Marauders had always been so against him. But Pettigrew hadn't anticipated the Marauder's might actually accept that Snape could ever be on the same side as them. When it came to Severus Snape, any information was close to impossible to uncover.

...

"I think we've got time to hit Zonko's before we meet the girls" James said as they walked down the main street through Hogsmeade.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Remus asked cautiously as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his cloak.

"We're only gonna look, Moony" Sirius laughed, patting him on the back.

"Of course you are" Remus answered sarcastically, shaking his head.

"Well, mostly look, anyway" James cut in. They couldn't get much from there anyway. Filch seemed to add more of their items to his beloved 'banned' list by the day. And Jess would have a minor fit if she caught him smuggling banned items into the Castle. He could still look at them though, no law against looking at them yet. Sirius laughed then, no doubt trying to come up with a convincing argument for getting _something._

Soon they were safely inside Zonko's hiding from the freezing wind, perusing the selection of novelty items.

"So, what'll it be, Prongs?" Sirius asked as he scanned the shelves carefully. They both tried to ignore Remus 'tutting' as he waited by the door.

"I don't know, maybe we shouldn't" James said reluctantly.

"What about some dungbombs, just in case?" Sirius suggested.

"In case of what?" James laughed.

"Emergencies. Obviously" he stated, as it that were the most logical suggestion in the world.

"Right, emergencies" James nodded, grinning at his friend as they looked at the section containing the range of dungbombs. Well, it wouldn't hurt _that_ much to have something on hand if there were any conflicts. There were still members of Slytherin that they butted heads with, mainly Sirius' brother and his cohorts, the ones Snape used to hang around with.

"So how come Snape hasn't come to Hogsmeade?" James asked.

"Dunno" Sirius shrugged, "Probably hiding away with Evans somewhere" he added as he selected a few packets.

"Mmm. Empty castle and all that" James laughed, "They didn't come on the last Hogsmeade visit either, don't they have Christmas shopping to do?" he pondered. That was strange, normally everyone was desperate to leave the Castle, but so far this term, Evans and Snape hadn't.

"Maybe they're just gonna do it when they go home" Sirius said, "What do you reckon to these, then?" he asked, shoving one of the packs into his hands.

"Yeah, fine" he answered, passing it back to Sirius, turning to the shelves to choose some of his own. It didn't stop him wondering why they'd stayed behind, it wasn't like them. Especially Evans, as prefect she would normally be here to help supervise the younger years if nothing else. Maybe they were worried. James frowned as the made his selections.

"Hmm" Remus suddenly mumbled.

"What?" James asked as he turned to face him. Remus was peering carefully out of the window.

"I could have sworn I just saw Malfoy" he whispered.

"Malfoy? What would he be doing in Hogsmeade?" Sirius asked.

"I can think of one reason" James said quietly.

"Snape?" Sirius asked. James nodded.

"Most likely" Remus agreed, "Do you think that's why they stayed behind?"

"Maybe they were worried about bumping into him like they did in Diagon Alley" James said.

"Looks like they were right to be worried" Remus stated.

"Mmm" James mumbled, "Let's just get these and get out of here" he said, gesturing at his packets of dungbombs. Sirius nodded, making his way towards the till, James followed close behind leaving Remus watching out of the window.

A few minutes later, the three of them were back outside, pulling their cloaks close against them as they made their way towards the Three Broomsticks.

"Wormy!" Sirius exclaimed as the fourth Marauder came round the corner, almost running straight into them.

"I didn't think you were coming today" Remus said softly.

"I... I wasn't planning to, but I... I changed my mind" he said.

"Cool. Come one, we're going to the Three Broomsticks" James said, guiding the boy in the direction of the pub. Peter nodded as he went with the flow of his friends.

"You should have just come with us, you know" Sirius said as they walked quickly.

"Where've you been?" Remus asked.

"I was looking for you guys" Peter answered quietly.

"Ah, heading for Zonko's, then?" Sirius laughed.

"Yeah, Zonko's" Peter agreed.

Remus pulled open the door to the bar, holding it for the others to head inside.

"I'll get the drinks, you grab a table" Sirius said as he marched up to the bar. James nodded, dragging Peter away to one of the empty tables.

"So what changed your mind? About today?" James asked curiously. This morning Peter had told the others he wasn't in the mood for Hogsmeade and to go on without him. Peter shrugged.

"Nothing really. Just changed my mind" he said.

"There you go, matey's" Sirius said cheerfully as he placed the tray of drinks on the table. James sighed contentedly as he took a sip of warm butterbeer.

"It's quieter than usual today" Remus remarked as he glanced around.

"Mmm, maybe Malfoy's scared everyone away" Sirius laughed.

"That or Mulciber did" Peter whispered.

"Mulciber?" Sirius asked sharply.

"Y... yes, I saw him while I was looking for you" Peter stammered.

"Probably looking for Snape for some reason" James said as he took another drink. No doubt they were.

"Maybe he believes that stupid Prophecy nonsense as well then" Peter snapped quietly, frowning. _What?_

"Prophecy? What Prophecy?" Sirius asked.

"What?" Peter snapped back, face paling.

"You just said something about a Prophecy. What on Earth are you even talking about?" James asked. This was bad.

"Nothing. It's nothing, is it" Peter said quickly. Sirius and James exchanged confused glances. _How did he know about a Prophecy?_

"Nothing?" Remus asked.

"Look, I'm just tired, all right? Don't know what I'm on about" Peter muttered, taking a drink of his own butterbeer.

"Probably should have stayed at the Castle, Wormy. Sounds like you could do with a nap" Sirius tried to joke. No one laughed though, the four of them just sat in an uneasy silence, drinking their butterbeers. Somehow, he was aware of a Prophecy. One of them would have to tell Snape later, and he knew just how well that news would go down.

...

Severus pulled open the huge door that appeared in the wall of the seventh floor corridor, holding it for Lily to pass in front of him. Once again, they were in the mysterious room of _hidden things_ as they'd come to call it, continuing their search for a Diadem - which may, or may not, even be here. The last few weeks had been fairly monotonous, their routine rarely varying - classes, study, homework, search the room. It was tedious. But it had to be done.

Today was the December Hogsmeade visit, just about everyone was down in the village, happily shopping for Christmas gifts. Just as he and Lily _should_ be doing. But they couldn't leave, however much they wanted to, it just wasn't safe. Dumbledore had reminded them the previous week not to leave Hogwarts. He had to stay safe. Trapped. He tried to look on the bright side, the Castle was almost empty, there were less people they'd needed to avoid on their way to the room, and Lily was right here with him, as she was every day. That was definitely a plus.

Quickly, they headed to the section they'd left off at on their previous visit to the room, the sooner they got started, the sooner they'd either find the object or discover there was nothing here to find. Sighing, he pulled open a door of a small wardrobe with rusty hinges, as Lily grabbed a box filled with, what looked like, bolts and off-cuts of various fabrics.

"I got a letter from Mum" she said quietly as she emptied the box onto the floor.

"About Petunia?" he asked as he continued to rummage. He looked at her when she didn't answer, seeing her nodding sadly. "What did she say?"

"She's definitely getting married at Christmas" she said, shoving the fabric scraps back into the box, reaching for the next box to sort through. Severus watched her carefully, waiting for her to continue.

"Vernon, has got himself a new job, he's moving away. She wants to move with him, says she can't live with him until they're married. So they _have_ to get married _now,_ instead of waiting" she said, blinking back tears as she tipped over a box of junk. Severus wanted to tell her not to let Petunia get to her, she'd always been a cow. But he didn't. Lily wouldn't want to hear that, no matter how true it was.

"I'm sorry" he told her. Lily shrugged half heartedly.

"It is what it is"

"If it wasn't for all this mess with You-Know-Who and that stupid bloody Prophecy, you'd be able to go home" he said quietly.

"That's not your fault, Sev, you didn't ask for any of that to happen" she protested as she met his eyes.

"No, but... if it wasn't for me your life would be a bit more _normal_ than it is" he told her. A feeling of guilt washing over him as he thought about it. It was her closeness to him that was putting her in danger. Not for the first time he pondered over his selfishness in the matter, his desire, his _need_ to have her in his life. He shouldn't be putting her in danger.

"Sev, if I had to choose between a _normal_ life, and you, you would be my choice every time" she told him earnestly. Severus nodded, looking away, back at the mountain of items they still had to search.

"I don't want you to get hurt because of me" he whispered.

"You're still my choice, Severus. Whatever the risk. In all of this, not just Petunia" she told him. He nodded again. Yes, he needed her, but she needed him too, just as much it seemed. He didn't want her to get hurt by anyone because of him, but keeping apart wasn't an option - then he would be the one that hurt her, he could never do that.

"What does your Mum think about it?" he asked as they carried on with their search.

"She's not happy with Petunia, but there isn't anything she can do about it. Vernon moving for this job gives them the perfect excuse" she told him with another shrug.

"Mmm, I guess so. Is she ok with you staying here for Christmas?"

"I think she understands why I can't go home this time. I don't think she entirely _likes_ it, but, there isn't anything I can do about it. I'd rather be here alive and safe, than risk going home and having You-Know-Who after me" she told him.

"That's true" he agreed. Didn't mean he liked it, but it was true.

"This is going to take forever" she sighed as she stood, moving on to another pile of damaged 'stuff'.

"Mmm" he mumbled, chucking a broken candelabra back down in annoyance, wishing he could ignore this responsibility for once, wishing he wasn't as involved as he was. Wishing he could be _normal._ That they both could be normal.

"Oh!" Lily gasped as she moved to an old dresser.

"What is it?"

"Look at this" she said quietly. Severus quickly stood beside her, glancing at the object resting inconspicuously on top of a dented jewellery box. "Do you think this could be it?" she whispered. A very old, tarnished silver tiara was there, just in front of them.

"It could be" he nodded. He wanted to touch it, but wasn't sure if he should. Before he could stop her, Lily had picked the thing up, peering at it closely. Whatever it was, it obviously wasn't cursed. He watched her carefully as she ran her fingers gently over the delicate metal work.

" _Wit beyond measure, is man's greatest treasure"_ she whispered, pointing out the delicate etchings.

"I'd say this is what we're looking for then" he nodded, reaching to take it from her. As soon as his fingers wrapped around the cold silver, he felt it. Like a heartbeat. He dropped it back onto the dresser.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned eyes searching his face.

"It's definitely it" he told her, pointing at the Diadem "I can feel it" he added.

"Feel it?" she asked.

"Like when I was near the ring. This is different, though, but it's definitely a Horcrux" he explained. He didn't want to touch it again.

"We need to take it to Dumbledore" she told him. He nodded, they did need to take it to him, but it was so tempting to leave it here, bring Dumbledore to it instead. Lily grabbed one of the pieces of fabric, laying the Diadem in the middle, gathering up the corners to enclose it inside.

"We should go now, before everyone's back from Hogsmeade" he told her, reaching for her free hand, leading her away from the magical junk room.

They dashed quickly through the corridors, down stairs, twists and turns, making the familiar trek through the Castle. They didn't pass a single person as they marched, everything silent - no students, no teachers. No one. Which was definitely a blessing, no one questioning what they'd been doing, or questioning why they weren't in Hogsmeade like everyone else.

"Sugar quills" Severus barked at the gargoyle guarding the stairs. The gargoyle promptly slid aside, allowing the two to make their way up the stairs to Dumbledore's office.

"Enter" the Headmaster's voice called out as they reached the top, they quickly obeyed. "Ah, and what can I do for the two of you today?" he enquired with a friendly smile.

"We found something, Sir" Severus answered.

"Oh?" he asked curiously. Severus looked to Lily as she placed the bundle on the Headmaster's desk. Dumbledore frowned as he glanced between himself and Lily.

"Take a look" Severus told him. Gingerly, Dumbledore pulled the fabric back, gasping audibly as the Diadem was revealed. "It doesn't seem to be cursed, but it's definitely what we're looking for" Severus told him. Dumbledore cautiously lifted the Diadem in his hands, turning it over as he examined it.

"Yes, I'd say it is" the Headmaster agreed. "Where did you find this?" he asked.

"That, is a long story, Sir. Though, it was Lily that found it, and the room it was hidden in" he explained.

"Oh? Do share your story, Miss Evans" he said as he placed the Diadem back down on the desk.

"There's a room, near the Fat Lady's portrait, it only appears when you ask for it" she told him, "I asked it for somewhere to hide something, and it looked like a giant junk room. It seemed like a logical place to search"

"How long ago did you find this room?" he asked.

"Not long ago, Sir. We wanted to take a look around before we told you, in case it ended up being a dead end" Severus answered. He didn't want to tell him it had been a month, he hadn't thought it would take that long to search the room, and the longer they'd put off telling him, the harder it was to bring the subject up.

"I see. Well, I would have rather you'd told me earlier, Severus, but, no harm done" Dumbledore said. Severus frowned, clearly the Headmaster didn't like being left out of the loop.

"So, how are we going to destroy it?" Severus asked, bringing them back to the object of their conversation.

"Well, we can't use Fiendfyre with a school full of students" Dumbledore told him, "And I do not think it wise to travel with this to destroy it elsewhere" he added.

"So, how are we going to destroy it, then?" he asked again.

"I believe Basilisk venom would be the quickest way of destroying it, providing Professor Slughorn is able to acquire some for us. Otherwise, we may be waiting for an empty Castle"

"Basilisk venom" Severus nodded. That would be tricky, it was a rare substance, not used in many potions at all. And it was expensive when it could be found. Maybe they'd be better off waiting until they could use Fiendfyre.

"For now, I will keep this here, under protection" Dumbledore told him, moving over to one of the cabinets, placing the Diadem in one of the small chests, securing it with a wave of his wand. "We will succeed, Severus" Dumbledore told him. "I have no doubt in my mind about that" he smiled.

Severus almost smiled as Lily squeezed his hand. For all the challenges they had yet to face, as of now, the second Horcrux was in their possession and would soon be destroyed. Three others that they knew of, were still out there, but for now they were a step closer to their goal. A small spark of optimism flickered inside him somewhere, they could do this. They _would_ do this. And maybe, there were only those three items left to collect. The Diary. The Cup. The Locket. Then the only thing left would be Voldemort himself.


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Severus lay on his bed, eyes closed in the darkness. He still hadn't been to sleep, and no doubt it was already into the early hours of the next day. The previous day had been something of a rollercoaster - they'd located the Diadem, which Dumbledore now had safely under magical protection in his office until they were able to destroy it. And Lupin had come to pay him a visit. Pettigrew knew a Prophecy had been made. The Marauders hadn't told him. Lupin suspected Pettigrew had met with Malfoy at the very least, and made him aware that a Prophecy had been made and Severus Snape was involved. Unfortunately Lupin couldn't tell him any more than that. But it didn't look good.

Known Death Eaters had been waiting for him in Hogsmeade - most likely to summon Voldemort once they'd found him. Just more confirmation that _no,_ they couldn't leave the Castle. It really wasn't safe. And it was pretty blatant that Pettigrew was meeting with Death Eaters - either to buy his own protection with information, or because he genuinely wanted to join the Dark Lord's ranks. Both options were disturbing. And Lupin had no idea how to handle it. Didn't know whether they should keep him close, to keep an eye on him, persuade him to stay in the Light. Or to cut ties with him if he'd made his choice.

Severus forced himself to take deep breaths, tried to convince himself it was fine. It would be fine. One day. Just when he thought he'd calmed his thoughts enough, that maybe he could get a couple of hours sleep before morning came, a loud 'pop' sounded at the foot of his bed. Severus bolted out of his bed, grasping at his wand in the darkness. With a flick, the lamps on the wall were lit, and Severus was faced with a small house-elf wringing its hands as it stared at him with wide, fearful eyes.

"Dobby?" Severus asked, frowning in confusion.

"You is knowing Dobby, Sir?" the elf queried.

"Yes. No... sort of. I know _of_ you" he told him. The elf blinked at him, ears flattened against its head.

"Dobby needed to talk with Severus Snape" he began, still clutching at its hands "Great danger is coming, Sir" he told him earnestly.

"Yeah, I know" Severus said with a humourless smirk.

"Severus Snape must not leave Hogwarts. There is great danger"

"I get that, I'm not leaving any time soon" he told the elf.

"He who must not be named. He knows, Sir"

"Knows what?" Severus asked, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.

"A Prophecy, Sir" the elf squeaked.

"He knows a Prophecy has been made?" Severus asked, he already knew that much, Malfoy had already tried to get him to divulge the contents of it.

"No, Sir. He has _heard_ the Prophecy" he whispered. Severus mutely shook his head in denial. He couldn't have heard the Prophecy. He wouldn't have walked himself into the Ministry to retrieve it, "Dobby was there, Sir, when they brought the Prophecy Keeper to him"

"The Prophecy Keeper brought him the Prophecy?" he asked in a whisper, "Willingly?"

"Imperius, Sir. Then murdered"

"By You-Know-Who?" Severus asked, sinking heavily on the bed. The elf nodded rapidly "He knows it's me?" he asked. The elf nodded again. _Bloody brilliant._

"They are all watching for Severus Snape. He who must not be named is to be called whenever they is seeing you. Severus Snape must stay inside Hogwarts!"

"He wants to kill me himself" Severus stated, that wasn't even a question anymore.

"Severus Snape must not be harmed! If the world loses Severus Snape, all will be in darkness!" the elf started to sob.

"Calm down, Dobby. If anything happens to me, someone else will finish the job, all right?" he told him, not at all comfortable faced with a crying elf.

"It must be Severus Snape. _You_ must defeat the dark one, Sir" he wailed "You is knowing how to defeat the darkness?" he asked, sniffling. Severus sighed, really not sure what to tell the house-elf. The Malfoy's house-elf.

"I have a few ideas" he said quietly. The elf sobbed again, clutching at Severus' shirt.

"Dobby knows you can do it, Sir" Severus rolled his eyes, fighting the urge to pry the elf's bony fingers from him.

"So, what's it like, working for the Malfoy's? Can't be very nice" Severus asked, changing tactics slightly. Dobby squawked, throwing himself at the floor, banging his head against it with a shriek. "Dobby? What are you doing?"

"Dobby cannot speak ill of Dobby's masters!"

"You didn't say a word!" Severus pointed out. "So, they're not very nice, then?"

"Bad Dobby, bad Dobby!" he shrieked, banging his head against the floor again.

"All right, all right! Stop, please Dobby. We won't talk about them anymore" Severus told him. Dobby stood again, looking slightly dazed, but at least the crying and wailing had stopped.

"Dobby cannot answer about Dobby's masters" he admitted. "Dobby should not be here, if Dobby is caught..." he began, not finishing the sentence. He didn't need to. If he was caught returning from this little trip he'd most likely be killed.

"I might need your help with something, Dobby" Severus said quietly, thoughts whirring in his mind.

"Severus Snape is needing Dobby's help?" he asked, eyes widening "Now, Sir?" he asked excitedly.

"Not right now. But soon. Will you help me?" Severus asked.

"Yes, Sir, Dobby can help" he squealed, his ears flapping happily.

"Good, will you come back and see me, after the Christmas holidays?" Severus asked.

"Dobby will come, Sir! Dobby can help" he nodded "But Dobby should go now, before Masters is knowing Dobby has been gone"

"Yes, go now, and not a word to anyone" Severus told him.

"No talking. Severus Snape must be safe" Dobby agreed happily, still nodding excitedly, before disappearing with another 'pop'.

Severus exhaled heavily. Another loop on the emotional rollercoaster to end the day. Despite learning that Voldemort was aware of the Prophecy's contents, Severus actually felt hopeful. He'd been a target anyway over assumptions, he'd had no plans to leave the Castle until the school year ended, so nothing had changed there. No, the hope came in the form of Dobby. The Malfoy's house-elf. The house-elf he'd learned of from the memories, the house-elf that had worked with Harry Potter. Severus knew that Dobby could be trusted. And they needed a way to get the Diary from Malfoy Manor, if Dobby could retrieve it for them, they'd be another step closer to ending Voldemort's reign of terror.

Severus extinguished the lamps with a flick of his wand, before setting it down on his bedside table, laying back down in the darkness. Surprisingly, now that he had the start of a plan forming, once he closed his eyes, sleep found him easily.

...

"Lily?" Severus' muffled voice sounded from somewhere close by. Lily didn't want to open her eyes, it was still dark, and yesterday had been a long day. "Lily?" she heard his voice whispering again.

"Sev?" she whispered, reaching for him before realising his voice was coming from the mirror. Blinking, she grabbed it as she sat up in her bed.

"Sev? Are you all right?" she whispered.

"Yes and no. I had a visitor in the night" he said.

"Oh?" she asked, frowning.

"Will you come with me to Dumbledore?"

"Yes of course, are you going now?"

"After breakfast, it's really important, Lily"

"Ok. I'll meet you in the Great Hall in ten minutes" she told him.

"Great. I'll see you then" he nodded, before his face disappeared from view and she was left staring at her own reflection.

Sighing, she pushed the covers off, dragging herself reluctantly out of her warm bed; grabbing some clothes, she quickly headed for the bathroom, wondering who could have visited his room during the night. Not many other students knew where his room was - some of the Slytherins did, as did the Marauders - but Remus had visited with information while she had still been there earlier in the evening. Information about Peter Pettigrew. And everything pointed to him being a Death Eater, or at least working closely with them for now. Maybe he was _hoping_ to join them for some bizarre reason.

Soon, she was dashing down the stairs, making her way to the Hall to meet Severus, surely he'd tell her everything then. She hoped so anyway. Her face lit up when she saw him, waiting on the staircase for her. She relaxed a little when he greeted her with a smile of his own, before kissing her gently.

"Good morning, Lily" he whispered as he pulled away.

"Good morning. You seem in a good mood" she said as he reached for her hand, leading her down the final stairs and through to the Great Hall. Severus shrugged at her observation. She glanced up at him as they walked, searching his face for clues as to what was so important, or how a midnight visitor could have left him in a seemingly good mood.

Severus led her to the Gryffindor table, sitting beside her on the bench, muttering a quiet _Muffliato._

"So, this visitor, Sev" she said quietly, not looking at his face as she waited for his response.

"Dobby" he whispered.

"Dobby?" she asked, turning to face him then. Severus looked amused.

"Who did you think visited my room?" he asked curiously. Lily shrugged, trying to stop herself blushing.

"I don't know, that's why I asked" she stated.

"Mmm" he mumbled "I don't want to talk about it in here though" he added. Lily nodded in agreement, there weren't many students in the Hall yet, but it still wasn't worth taking any extra chances. "I do have the start of a plan, though" he said as he turned to pour them both some tea.

"I see. I take it _that's_ what's put you in a good mood then?" she asked him.

"I'm always happy when I have a plan" he told her. Lily laughed then. Yes, he was happy when he had a plan, she knew that.

"So, he had good news?" she asked hopefully.

"Nope. Not good at all" he told her, "But it did give me the idea for my plan. Which I need to talk to Dumbledore about" he said as he reached for some toast.

"Oh" she said sadly. A visitor bringing news that wasn't good, but it had put Severus in a good mood? Something wasn't right. "So, what did he say, then?" she asked.

"We can't talk about it here" he whispered.

"That bad?" she asked him. Severus nodded.

"He knows"

"What!" she exclaimed, almost jumping from the bench, but Severus caught hold of her wrist.

"Not here, Lily. I'll tell you everything when we get to Dumbledore's office" he whispered, staring straight into her eyes.

"But, Sev. He knows?" she said, dumfounded. "How?"

"I'll tell you upstairs" he said quietly. Lily nodded reluctantly, confused as to how he could be so calm about it. Or was he? Was the good mood a cover for his anxiety? Not entirely, he was definitely in a happier mood than had been usual in recent weeks - the search for the Diadem had been taking its toll on him, but that search had ended yesterday, taking a weight off his shoulders.

But this visitor seemed to have thrust more weight onto him. If she'd understood correctly, You-Know-Who knew the Prophecy. And his reaction had told her she was right. Things seemed to get more complicated as time went on, they solved one problem and several more got shoved straight into their path.

Breakfast was a silent affair after that, she wanted answers from him and knew she had to wait. She was grateful he'd asked her to accompany him to the Headmaster, that he still wanted her input, and her support. It wasn't long at all until they were making their way up the stairs to the Headmasters office. Time for her to find out just how bad it really was.

...

"Ah, Severus, Lily, do come in, take a seat" Dumbledore greeted them warmly, "Tea?" he asked pleasantly.

"Not just now, thank you, Sir" Severus answered, sliding into his usual seat, Lily taking the one beside him.

"So, what brings the two of you to my office this morning?" the Headmaster enquired. Severus took a deep breath before he spoke.

"He knows" he stated, meeting Dumbledore's eyes, confusion flickered there as he frowned.

"Voldemort?" he whispered. Severus nodded.

"He knows the contents of the Prophecy" Severus said quietly.

"You're sure?" Dumbledore asked. Evidently he didn't want to believe it.

"During the night, Dobby paid me a little visit" Severus said quietly.

"The same Dobby?"

"The Malfoy's house-elf, yes. It would seem Voldemort spends time at Malfoy Manor. He was there when the Prophecy Keeper was brought to him"

"They found the Prophecy Keeper?" Dumbledore asked worriedly.

"Dobby says the keeper brought the Prophecy to him under an Imperius Curse, they were murdered once he heard the Prophecy" Severus explained. Dumbledore sank back in his chair, exhaling heavily.

"So, we need to work out what to do next. I assume I do not need to repeat how important it is to stay in the Castle, if Voldemort is aware of the Prophecy"

"He wants me dead now. Dobby says the Death Eaters have been ordered to watch for me leaving, and to call him as soon as I'm spotted so he can kill me himself" Severus explained. He heard Lily taking deep breaths, trying not to panic.

"Remus said he saw Malfoy in Hogsmeade yesterday" Lily said quietly.

"No doubt searching for you, Severus" Dumbledore stated.

"They suspect Pettigrew is involved with the Death Eaters, Sir" Severus said.

"You have said he is not to be trusted, the memories showed him becoming a Death Eater"

"He's already started the process. I think he's been attempting to spy on me to give information to them. Lupin thinks he met with Malfoy and possibly Mulciber yesterday"

"I see"

"To be honest, I'm not all that concerned with Pettigrew, he's a sneak but I highly doubt he's going to try anything out in the open. We just need to keep an eye on him" Severus told him, he had no doubt in his mind that Pettigrew would end up on the wrong side in this War, for whatever reason. He also knew that there was no way Pettigrew would attack him, even one-on-one. Pettigrew wouldn't stand a chance against him, they both knew that. The best they could do was to keep making sure that he found out nothing whatsoever. Fortunately, Lupin, Potter and Black seemed to trust him almost as little as Severus did - they were more than happy to keep him in the dark about what little they actually did know.

"Well, this is not the start to the day I expected" Dumbledore admitted.

"You said you had a plan, Sev" Lily said quietly.

"I did" Severus said with a small smirk.

"Do enlighten us then, Severus" Dumbledore requested.

"We still need a way to get that Diary" Severus began, "I think Dobby may be just the one for that job"

"You think he can be trusted?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes. He can be trusted. He played in the role in the memories I saw, we needed a way to contact him. Well, he found a reason to come to me"

"Because of the Prophecy?" Lily asked.

"It's not ideal that he knows what the Prophecy says, but I was a target anyway, him knowing hasn't really changed that much in the grand scheme of things. My only concern there is, if he works out that I know about the Horcruxes, if he starts moving them from the places we know about, this is going to get a lot more complicated"

"The memories will become useless" Dumbledore said sadly.

"Or he could make more Horcruxes" Lily added, looking more than a little disturbed.

"We need to know how many there are, and we need to get rid of them before he can move the ones he already has" Severus told them. Dumbledore nodded slowly. They needed Slughorn's memory, if there was any chance that could give them an answer, they needed it.

"So how do you propose we enlist Dobby?" the Headmaster finally asked "Can you call him back to you?"

"I don't think so, but I did tell him I needed his help and to visit me again after Christmas"

"And he was agreeable?"

"Very. He seemed quite eager to be of assistance"

"Very well. So, the plan?"

"We make a copy of the Diary, we can transfigure something, we know what it looks like from the memories. When Dobby returns we'll ask him to look for the real one and get him to make a switch when he finds out where it is" Severus explained. Dumbledore gave him a small smile.

"It may not be easy for Dobby to locate" Dumbledore said.

"Perhaps not, but it's the best we have. As you said before, we can't go searching the Manor ourselves, or send anyone in to remove it without raising suspicions. The memories make it clear Malfoy has no idea what the Diary genuinely is, I don't think he holds in high regard. Hopefully it's just stashed on a bookshelf in his library" Severus said. All they could do was hope for the best, hope that Dobby could find it and swap it for a fake, hope that a fake would be enough to fool Malfoy and even Voldemort at a glance.

"True enough" Dumbledore conceded. "Very well, I will create a replica of the Diary"

A knock sounded on the office door, startling each of them from their thoughts.

"Enter" Dumbledore called out.

"Good morning, Albus. Ah, Mr Snape, Miss Evans, I do apologise I had no idea you were with the Headmaster"

"It's no trouble at all, Professor Slughorn, do come in, take a seat. Tea?" Dumbledore offered.

"Thank you, yes" Slughorn beamed happily as he sank into one of the vacant chairs. Dumbledore rose from his seat preparing tea for all four of them, making it clear that himself and Lily would remain a while longer, they still had more to discuss.

Soon, all four of them were seated again, sipping their tea quietly.

"So, what can I do for you, Professor Slughorn?" Dumbledore asked politely.

"Oh, I have something for you" he said as he placed his cup down on a nearby table, patting at his robes until he found what he was searching for. "Ah, here it is" he beamed as he withdrew a small, crystal vial from one of his inner pockets "Basilisk venom, as you requested, Albus" he said as he placed the vial down on the Headmaster's desk.

"How on earth did you acquire this so quickly, Horace? I only spoke with you last night"

"When I got back to my office, I remembered a gift I received some years ago, a selection of very rare potions ingredients. As you know, so few potions call for Basilisk venom, so I've never had need of it. I'm afraid it's not much, I'm not even sure if it will be of any use to you" he rambled on. Severus wasn't sure either, it was indeed a very tiny vial.

"You have my deepest gratitude, Horace, it may do the job for us today" the Headmaster told him.

"Today?" Slughorn asked, his cheery smile faltering.

"New information has come to light, it is imperative we destroy the Horcruxes as swiftly as possible"

"New information?" Slughorn parroted back.

"Indeed, Horace" Dumbledore answered with a smile.

"How are we going to do it, Sir? It's not like we can just dunk it in the Basilisk venom" Severus said.

"Fortunately, I happen to have a small, goblin made dagger in my possession - something that was gifted to myself a number of years ago" he told him, still smiling pleasantly.

"Fascinating, Sir" Severus drawled, wondering why the Headmaster was suddenly talking about daggers.

"As I'm sure you're aware, goblin made armour and weapons are impervious to rust, and only takes in -"

"That which makes it stronger" Lily interrupted. Dumbledore nodded.

"Exactly, Miss Evans. Just like the -"

"Sword of Gryffindor" Severus finished. Right. The _missing_ sword of Gryffindor.

"We cannot force the sword to present itself to us. But, we can create a tool of our own, with a certain goblin made dagger, and a little Basilisk venom"

"Goodness, Albus, are they really that difficult to destroy?" Slughorn asked, a very concerned expression on his face.

"They are. The item that houses a fragment of his soul must be damaged beyond all hope of repair. The ring was destroyed with Fiendfyre, the memories Severus received made it clear that more than one item was destroyed using Basilisk venom" Dumbledore explained. Severus knew that at least three involved Basilisk venom - the Potter boy had stabbed the Diary with a Basilisk fang, the locket and the ring destroyed with the sword of Gryffindor _after_ Potter had used it to slay a Basilisk, allowing the sword to take in the venom. Slughorn nodded slowly, still frowning.

Severus watched as the Headmaster withdrew a short dagger from one of the drawers of his desk. It was a small blade, perhaps only four inches or so, but considering the items they were hoping to destroy would all be fairly small, it should be enough. Dumbledore lay the dagger on his desk, opening the vial to find a dropper attached to the stopper, there really wouldn't be much of it at all, they could only hope it would be enough. The Headmaster worked carefully, letting tiny droplets of venom slip on to the surface of the dagger, watching as the little beads started to sink into the metal. Dumbledore turned the dagger over, repeating the process on the other side of the blade, continuing until the vial was empty.

Severus met the Headmaster's eyes nervously, hoping that the few drops of venom would be powerful enough to destroy the Diadem, and the other pieces once they had them in their possession.

Dumbledore moved to his cabinet, lifting his wand to remove the wards he'd placed on the chest the day before; sighing heavily as he picked up the Diadem, placing it on the desk in front of Severus.

"Would you care to do the honours?" Dumbledore asked with a raised eyebrow. Severus stood, stepping closer to the desk.

"Sir?" Severus frowned. Dumbledore said nothing, only offered the dagger to him. Severus took it gratefully, he did want to do it, he hadn't been able to destroy the ring and he wanted to take out at least one of the pieces himself.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Albus?" Slughorn asked worriedly.

"I have complete faith in Severus. If you wish to leave the room, you are free to do so. And you as well, Miss Evans" Dumbledore told them.

"I'm not going anywhere" Lily told him. Severus smiled, Lily would never run.

"Excellent, though I would recommend standing back" Dumbledore said with a nod. Lily stood, giving Severus' hand a squeeze before moving to the far side of the office, wand drawn, ready. Slughorn moved to stand beside her, looking more nervous than anyone else in the room.

"Are you ready, Severus?" Dumbledore asked. Severus nodded, eyes fixed on the Diadem, wondering exactly where to stab it, how to destroy it. It was almost instinct when it came to what he did, couldn't explain why he did it. He ran the tip of the dagger along the metal scroll work, as it trying to _feel_ what lurked inside, with his eyes fixed on the tiara, it was as if no one else was in the room, he couldn't feel the presence of the others, or tell how much time had passed. It could have been a second, it could have been an hour as he ran the blade over that tarnished silver. His eyes closed as he felt it, a pull as the dagger hovered over the brilliant blue sapphire. A whisper. Something evil. His snapped open again as he pierced the setting with the blade, the gem slipping out as he drove the weapon into the metal work it exposed.

Severus recoiled momentarily as the Diadem shrieked, a piercing note as the blade drove through the metal. Recovering quickly, Severus stabbed it again and again, severing as much of it as he could before being thrown backwards as the black mist was thrown out, like an explosion had taken place within.

Severus picked himself up off the floor, quickly looking for Lily. She met his eyes immediately, offering a small but reassuring smile. She was fine. He was fine. He turned his attention back to the Diadem, punctured and split by the dagger - it had obviously done its job. Whatever had been inside was now gone. The second Horcrux was dead.

"I believe that was a success" Dumbledore stated. Severus nodded as he handed the dagger back to the Headmaster.

"What was that?" Slughorn asked.

"That was the bit of his soul that was hidden in the Diadem. It's gone now" Severus told him. Lily walked over to him then, reaching for his hand. Severus was glad of the contact, the grounding reassurance the touch gave him after being in close proximity to something so evil.

"Two Horcruxes down" Dumbledore said.

"I just wish we knew how many more to go" Severus added. Lily squeezed his fingers again.

"Why don't you get some rest, Severus. It looks like you could use it" Dumbledore said gently. Severus nodded, leading Lily towards the office door, he was exhausted after that. He needed time to recover himself mentally. The two of them left the Headmaster's office without another word, leaving Dumbledore to clear away what remained of the Diadem, and leaving Slughorn to think about what he'd said. _How many more to go?_ Hopefully Slughorn would choose to share his information sooner rather than later.


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

It was noisy in the girls dorm room, everyone was hurriedly dashing around, making sure they had everything packed before they headed down for breakfast. Before they caught the train home for the Christmas holidays. Everyone was leaving, except her.

Lily rolled over onto her stomach, shoving the pillow over her head, trying to block out the sound of the other girls. There was still a part of her that hated the fact that she wouldn't spend Christmas with her parents, for the first time in her life. She was also missing her sister's wedding, which brought up a whole other range of emotions - from anger that her sister could behave so callously towards her, to sad that her sister didn't even want to try and maintain any sort of relationship at all. Plus, their choice in partners couldn't be any more different, in every possible way.

"Come on, Lily, get up already!" Mary shouted as she dashed between the beds.

"You haven't even started packing yet!" Alice chipped in.

"I'm not going" Lily mumbled from under her pillow.

"You are joking, aren't you?" Mary asked quietly. Lily shook her head before realising they couldn't see her. She pushed the pillow to one side, rearranging herself to sit up on the edge of the bed.

"You're not going home?" Alice asked more gently.

"Just thought I should spend at least one Christmas at Hogwarts. I've never stayed before and it's my last chance" she told them, trying to sound happy about it.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Mary asked.

"Well, I hadn't entirely decided" she lied, "And with everything that's going on with Petunia I thought it was best if I kept out of it" she said, which _was_ part of the reason anyway.

"The wedding?" Mary asked.

"Mmm, the wedding is tomorrow, and considering I'm not allowed to go I thought it would be easier if I stayed here" Lily explained.

"I can't believe she's not letting you go, she's your sister!" Alice protested.

"I can believe it" Lily said sadly.

"Is Severus staying here too?" Alice asked.

"Yes, he's staying" she nodded.

"Are you sure there's nothing else bothering you?" Alice asked her quietly. Lily frowned.

"Bothering me?"

"Well, you haven't been on any of the Hogsmeade trips, you're not going home. How come you're stuck in the Castle?" Alice probed. Lily shrugged.

"It's nothing, just life I guess. Things keep cropping up" she told her friend. It's not like she could tell her the real reasons. She was afraid that if she left the Castle then the Death Eaters would get her, to get to Severus. All because of a Prophecy. Because Severus was determined to take down Voldemort. And Dumbledore had pretty much forbidden them to leave.

"You're sure?" Mary asked.

"I'm sure" Lily nodded, attempting to give her friends a reassuring smile.

"All right. Are you coming down for breakfast"

"I just need to get dressed, you go ahead" Lily told them. She watched as the two girls nodded, heading out of the dorms with their trunks.

Five minutes later, Lily was leaving the dorms herself, making her way in to the common room to follow after her friends down to breakfast.

"Evans!" Potter called out cheerfully, "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" she asked with a frown. Potter walked over to join her, lowering his voice to a more cautious level.

"You're staying here for Christmas?" he asked.

"Who told you that?" she asked.

"Oh, Alice just said"

"Oh, well, yes I'm staying here" she admitted.

"How come?" he asked. Lily sighed.

"Lots of reasons. My sister's getting married and I'm not allowed to go, for one"

"Death Eaters for another" he supplied. Lily gave a single tight nod to confirm. He already knew the Death Eaters were looking for Severus. "Snape staying too?"

"Obviously" she smirked.

"Hmm, you're starting to sound like him" Potter laughed.

"You say that like it's a bad thing" she smiled back. Potter shrugged in response.

"Well, you're not the only ones staying" he told her.

"Oh? Who else?" she asked cautiously.

"Me, Sirius and Remus are staying" he said. He paused before adding "And Peter" Lily drew in a breath at that.

"How come?"

"Christmas day, it's a full moon" he whispered. Lily nodded in understanding. She didn't mind that the first three were staying. But Pettigrew? "We'll keep an eye on him, with the map if he disappears anywhere" he assured her.

"Thanks" she nodded. Hopefully he would keep to his word.

"No problem. You know we're here if you need anything. You or Snape" he told her. Lily gave him a half smile, amused at the thought of Severus approaching James Potter for any kind of help.

"Anyway, I should catch up with Mary and Alice before they wonder where I am. I'll see you later" she told him.

"Yeah, see you later, Lily" he replied, before turning and making his way over to the sofas to wait for his friends.

Lily smiled as she made her way to the portrait hole to have breakfast with her friends, before spending, what she hoped would be a wonderful Christmas time, alone with Severus.

...

"Severus, are you awake?" Lily's voice called out.

"Mmm?" Severus mumbled, reaching out for her without even realising what was doing, eyes still closed in the darkness.

"Sev?" the mirror called again. Right. The mirror.

" _Lumos_ " he whispered as he picked up his wand, grabbing the mirror with his other hand. "Lily?"

"You _are_ awake" she grinned up at him.

"I'm awake" he nodded, trying not to frown at the sparkling eyes staring at him from the mirror "What time is it?" he asked.

"It's gone six, can I come in?" she asked.

"Of course, where are you?" he asked. She grinned as a knock sounded on his door. Sighing, he made his way over to the door, pulling it open for her to enter his room. "You could have let yourself in, you know the password" he told her as he closed the door softly behind her, waving his wand to light the wall lamps.

"I didn't know if you would want me just barging in here if you were sleeping" she told him with a shrug, slipping her mirror into one of the pockets of her cloak.

"It wouldn't be _barging in_ " he told her, "You can let yourself in any time, I don't mind"

"I'll keep that in mind" she told him with a cheeky smile "Merry Christmas, Sev" she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him close.

"Merry Christmas, Lily" he returned softly, letting his hands drift into her silky hair, leaning in to kiss her gently.

"Mmm" she sighed contentedly as he pulled away, letting his hand linger, his thumb stroking her soft cheek.

"So, presents?" he asked, "There's still a while before we can go downstairs for breakfast"

"Sounds good" she nodded, moving to sit on the bed, taking the bag of presents she'd been carrying. Severus headed for the desk to retrieve the gifts he had for her before joining her on the bed.

Lily was sat cross legged on the bed, cloak removed and cast aside, removing prettily wrapped parcels and laying them on the bed in front of her. Severus watched with amusement at her excitement, smiling as she met his eyes, no doubt pleased with herself.

"This is for you, from Mum and Dad" she said as she handed him a small gift box. Severus carefully unwrapped the parcel, finding a set of elegant silver cufflinks set with garnet.

"Are your parents trying to turn me into a Gryffindor?" he asked with a smile as he eyed the deep red stone. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Of course not, that would be ridiculous. It's your birth stone" she said.

"Ah, I knew that" he teased, "They're very nice" he acknowledged, which they were. Understated, simple and elegant. "What did they send you?" he asked. Lily showed him, a delicate bracelet of faceted garnet ovals.

"We match, silver and garnet" she smiled, as he took the bracelet from her, fastening it carefully around her wrist, smiling at her as she admired it in the lamp light.

"We'll have to send a note with Apollo later" he told her. She nodded happily, handing him a couple more gifts. The two of them unwrapped the range of parcels, various sweets and chocolates she'd been given by her friends.

Soon, all that remained were their gifts for each other, Lily watched excitedly as he unwrapped his - a warm woollen cloak, perfect for the winter weather, and a gorgeous eagle feather quill.

"Do you like them?" she asked nervously, awaiting his verdict.

"I do, very much" he assured her, giving her a warm smile.

"Oh good" she said, smiling brightly at his response.

"Thank you" he told her, leaning in to kiss her again. Lily looked far more relaxed now, obviously relieved that he liked her choice of gifts. Which he did, the cloak was ideal, his own had seen much better days and didn't particularly help in keeping out the almost arctic winds it felt like they experienced up in the Highlands in winter. He almost felt like suggesting a walk in the snow later so he could properly try it out.

"One more gift left, Lily" he said to her, now it was his turn to feel nervous. "I hope you like it" he said as he placed the final box in her hands. Carefully, she unwrapped the present, opening the lid to reveal the antique pendant. Severus watched carefully as she lifted the necklace out, examining it in the palm of her hand.

"Sev, this is beautiful" she whispered, almost gasping as she took in the delicate diamonds surrounding a deep green emerald that almost perfectly matched her eyes.

"It was my great grandmothers" he told her, he could see tears forming in her eyes as she met his own. "My mother gave it to me, before we came back to school"

"It's a Prince family heirloom?" she asked softly.

"Yes" he nodded "You are my family, Lily. Mother knows that, she wants you to have it too" he told her.

"I don't know what to say, Sev. It's -" she shook her head, not able to finish that sentence.

"I was worried you wouldn't like it" he admitted.

"How could I not?" she smiled, "It's gorgeous"

Severus nodded, taking it from her, leaning forwards to fasten the delicate gold chain around her neck, smiling as he saw it resting against her pale skin.

"Perfect" he said.

"Thank you" she whispered, reaching to stroke his cheek, leaning in to kiss him gently. Her eyes were still sparkling with the unshed tears as he pulled away, obviously touched by the sentimental gift. He'd been worried that she either wouldn't like it because it was Slytherin green, or that it was too old fashioned. Ultimately, she'd seen it how he intended - a family heirloom for her, the first step to becoming a family officially. The other item his mother had given him would be gifted another day. Now he knew she liked this gift, he had no doubt in his mind that she would like the next one too - though the thought stirred up his nerves in ways he didn't even know were possible. But he'd dwell on that when the time came, there was still another month until her birthday.

"Shall we head down to breakfast, love?" he asked her, smiling warmly at this beautiful girl.

"Lead on, love" she answered, smiling just as brightly in return.

They both stood, quickly fastening their cloaks before heading out of his room hand in hand. Within minutes they were heading into the Great Hall, towards the single table that was currently there, no need for all four House tables with so few students.

"Good morning, Severus"

"Mother?" he asked, both himself and Lily stopping in their tracks.

"Merry Christmas" she told him.

"Merry Christmas" he said in return, still not quite believing she was here at Hogwarts. _Why was she at Hogwarts?_

"Ah, good morning and a very Merry Christmas, Severus" Dumbledore said as he joined them, an amused twinkle in his eye as he regarded Severus' confused frown.

"Merry Christmas, Sir" he replied cautiously.

"I thought it would be good for both you and Eileen to 'catch up' this Christmas. I had her floo in from the Burrow" he explained.

"Plus, the Weasley's don't need to have me in the way all the time" his mother added.

"I see" Severus nodded, "And you are well?" he asked, though he hardly needed to, she looked better than he could ever remember seeing her in his childhood, she was still slim, but naturally so rather than gaunt and drawn, her hair was smooth and silky instead of limp and lifeless. She was wearing robes of a deep forest green, and she had a wand. It was almost impossible to believe it was the same woman he'd left at home a few months ago.

"Yes" she nodded, "I am... improving. It is getting easier, I must admit"

"It looks like the Burrow agrees with you" he said quietly. She said nothing, only nodded before turning her attention to Lily, reaching out to touch the emerald pendant.

"It suits you, Lily" she said with a smile.

"Thank you, Mrs Snape. It's beautiful, and very generous of you" Lily told her.

"You are most welcome. I'm glad Severus has given it to you" his mother said sincerely, clearly approving of Lily becoming the new owner of her grandmothers necklace. Thankfully it seemed she genuinely liked Lily, she'd given him more than one family heirloom to pass to Lily when the time was right. Heirlooms he hadn't even known existed until this summer, items she'd carefully hidden from everyone since she was exiled from the Prince family home so many years ago. He was surprised she had anything at all apart from her old school books, though it had been a more than pleasant surprise.

"Why don't you all come and sit down, catch up over breakfast?" Dumbledore suggested, smiling as he turned and headed for the table, obviously wanting to be followed. The three obeyed, easily finding space at the large table, helping themselves to breakfast from the large spread that the house-elves had prepared.

"So, you're really doing all right, mother?" he couldn't help asking as he poured them all some tea.

"Yes, Severus" she told him, almost impatiently but with a hint of a smile.

"And you have a new wand?" he asked curiously.

"Mmm, would you like to see it?" she asked as she withdrew it from her robes. Severus took it carefully, looking over the new wand. It was fairly simple, no ornate engravings or decorations, much like his own, though it was clearly a different wood.

"It's very nice" he told her, handing it back.

"Yes, very different to my first wand. This one is ash, with unicorn hair. It seemed appropriate" she told him.

"How is life at the Weasley's?"

"It's... interesting" she said with a smile. "Hectic with three boys running around"

"And another on the way?" he asked.

"Another two! Twin boys due in April" she told him, shaking her head with amusement.

"Five boys!" Lily asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Yes" she nodded, "I do hope you don't plan on giving me quite that many grandchildren, Severus" his mother teased. Severus snorted, the tea he was drinking almost coming out of his nose. Lily laughed as he started to blush.

"Er, no. I don't think we plan on having five children, mother. Though, it's not something we've discussed yet" he told her. He hoped Lily didn't want five anyway. What if she did? Dumbledore looked highly amused as Severus' discomfort, as did his mother. And Lily. _Joy._

Lily squeezed his knee under the table,

"Don't worry, I don't want five" she whispered softly, quiet enough so that only he could hear. Severus could only nod, relieved at that statement, still amazed that she seemed to know everything that went through his head.

"And all is well here, Severus? No trouble with the other students? Or...?" she asked.

"No. No trouble. All has been quiet with the other students, the ones in both Gryffindor and Slytherin. And we haven't left the Castle, so no trouble with any surprise _visitors"_ he told her.

"But you are still in danger?" she asked. Severus sighed.

"Eileen, I believe that's a discussion that's best left for my office after breakfast" Dumbledore told her quietly.

"So that's a 'yes' then?" she replied.

"Yes, mother. But we'll discuss it later, ok?" he said softly.

"Very well" she nodded, finally beginning eating. Severus suddenly didn't feel quite so hungry. He didn't know how much the Headmaster planned to tell her, it would be exceedingly little if it was up to him, though she did deserve to know slightly more seeing as she'd had to go into hiding.

The conversation changed after that as more students made their way in for breakfast, his mother asked him about school and his studies. He wasn't used to having a parent showing interest in him, he'd only every had that with Lily and her parents. He wondered just how different his life could have been had she chosen someone else to marry and have a family with if she'd broken free of his father's influence years ago. Could she have returned to her family? Would he have had a step-father who took care of them both? Would he have had siblings? But then, maybe if any of those things had happened, he wouldn't be _this_ Severus Snape, he'd be someone different, shaped by different memories and experiences. Just as he was being shaped by memories sent from the future from another version of himself.

All he could do was be the person he was now, with the experiences he had had himself. And to stop trying to over think everything that happened in his life, otherwise the headache he kept giving himself would become permanent.

...

 _Severus took his place in the Circle, watching cautiously as the Dark Lord prowled among them. Everyone was silent, collectively holding their breath, each afraid of drawing attention to himself and incurring the Dark Lord's wrath. It had been obvious when they were summoned that the Dark Lord was_ not _pleased in the slightest. Now all the Death Eaters could do was wait to learn the cause of his displeasure, hope that it was not them to bear the brunt of his anger._

 _"Crucio!" the Dark Lord called out, aiming his wand at a random Death Eater, the others tried not to flinch as the spell was cast, no one knew who had been struck down this time. He probably wouldn't be the last tonight. Severus held his breath. Waiting. The only sound now being the shallow pants of the fallen follower. "Crucio!" he yelled again, striking down another of his men, his heavy breaths joining those of his comrade. No one dared to ask their Master exactly why he was displeased._

 _The Dark Lord continued to pace inside his Circle of men, staring intently at each of the masked faces in turn. Severus wasn't sure what was going on, whether they would continue to be punished, or if his temper had been satisfied for the time being._

 _"Friends" he spoke quietly, "I am most upset this evening" his fingers caressed his wand as he walked, anger still obvious and waiting to erupt again. Severus followed his movements carefully._

 _"Word has reached me that one of my most trusted followers has left my ranks" he said slowly. There were several sharp intakes of breath from other members. Severus merely swallowed, no one left ranks. Never. It was suicide to even contemplate such a thing._

 _"How dare they!" spat Bellatrix Lestrange "Who is this traitor?" she glared._

 _"Well, my dear Bella, that would be your beloved cousin - Regulus Black" he whispered, his face now inches from her as he paused in his pacing._

 _"Filthy blood traitor!" she practically screamed, turning her head to spit on the floor. The Dark Lord laughed menacingly. "When I find him, I'll tear him apart!" she promised._

 _"There is no need, he has already been dealt with" he said before continuing to prowl the Circle. "Consider this evening a warning. If any of you think about deserting our cause, I guarantee there will be no second chances. The Dark Lord does not forgive, however pure your blood may be" he growled. "If you cross me, your body will never be found. Just like dear Regulus. Do I make myself clear?"_

 _Whispers of "Yes, my Lord" were murmured throughout the remaining members, all keen to prove they were loyal to the cause, to the Dark Lord._

 _"Excellent" he hissed as he turned to head out of the dark basement, pausing at the bottom step, still fingering his wand lightly. After a split second he aimed at another Death Eater, bringing him to his knees with a howl of pain, a parting Cruciatus. A final reminder that he was not to be crossed. Severus wasn't entirely sure that random torture of his loyal followers was the best idea, though fear did make an excellent motivator - and if this was how he treated his own men, then you obviously didn't want to be his enemy._

 _The Dark Lord left then, sweeping up the stairs in silence, heavy cloak brushing the dusty ground behind him, the remaining Death Eaters left to lick their wounds and discuss Regulus Black's fate. What could have happened to him to make him switch sides? It must have been something big, but what exactly, could it have been? Regulus had always been such a devoted follower, taking the Mark while still at school, so why such a sudden change of course?_

 _And how did the Dark Lord find out? No doubt his extensive skill in Legilimency had played a role, all the more reason for Severus to continue to develop his Occlumency, not to betray his Master, but he'd always been an intensely private man._

 _Severus left then himself, eager to get away from the angry shrieks of Bellatrix, her fury at her favourite cousin betraying the Dark Lord so treacherously, proclaiming she was pleased at his disposal, he only had himself to blame, she would have killed him herself had the Dark Lord not done it. Anyone would only be able to blame themselves if they went against the Dark Lord though, no one was stupid enough to think they could escape him if they lied to his face._


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Lily came back to consciousness slowly, aware of a soft tapping somewhere in the darkness. She felt movement beneath her head. _Movement?_ She heard Severus groaning, slipping his arm out from beneath her, obviously she'd fallen asleep in his room, it was only as she sat up that she noticed the book beside her on the bed. Did someone know she was here? What time was it anyway?

Severus had lit the lamps with a wave of his wand as she glanced at her watch, it was almost 2am. No one would come looking for her at 2am, even if she was in trouble they'd surely wait until morning to summon both of them to explain themselves and to arrange any punishments they felt necessary.

The tapping on Severus' door sounded again, very soft tapping, almost like they weren't entirely sure whether or not they should actually knock. Lily met his eyes worriedly, not sure what to do, not sure if he should answer the door.

"Who is it?" Severus called out to their visitor.

"It's Professor Slughorn" their teachers voice answered them, muffled through the door. Severus' shoulders dropped, no doubt thinking the same as she was. They were in trouble.

"Hide in the bathroom" he whispered to her. Lily nodded, dashing around to the small room, just in case he didn't _actually_ know she was there. She closed the door as softly as she could, keeping her ear pressed close, trying to hear what was said.

"Ah, Mr Snape, my apologies for disturbing you at this hour" she heard the Professor say.

"Is something wrong, Sir?" Severus asked him.

"I couldn't sleep, you see, m'boy. There are things, on my mind of late" he explained. Lily frowned as she strained to listen in "I'm aware that a great deal has changed in the War, that You-Know-Who has learned far too much about you" he rambled on, he almost sounded upset.

"He is aware of the Prophecy, he suspects me" Severus said quietly.

"I think now is the time to even the playing field a little, but... it's not easy" Slughorn said softly.

"Sir?"

"This... this is what you want, what you need to know. Just, please... try not to hate me for this" the Professor said sadly. "I didn't realise my mistake until it was too late." There was silence after that, Lily didn't know if he had left or was still in the room, not until the bathroom door opened and she was face to face with Severus again.

"He's gone?" she asked, though she hardly needed to.

"Yes" he nodded, making his way back over to the bed, sitting carefully on the edge. Lily sat beside him, glancing at the object tightly clasped in his hand.

"What did he give you?" she asked quietly.

"A memory. Hopefully the real memory, the discussion he had with Riddle while he was still at school"

"How many Horcruxes?" she whispered, glancing up at his face.

"Merlin, I hope so" he said, shaking his head.

"So, this could tell you how many more there are to destroy? How close you are to ending the War?"

"Yes" he laughed, almost in disbelief. He stared at the tiny bottle carefully, a simple crystal vial, not labelled, not drawing attention in any way whatsoever. But it may be the most important bit of information yet, almost as important as the memories Severus had received in his dreams.

Severus slipped the bottle into the drawer of his bedside table, ready to take to the Headmaster in the morning, turning to face her with a warm smile.

"I guess I should go" she whispered sadly.

"Lily, it's two in the morning. Just stay here tonight" he said, "He didn't know you were here, I doubt anyone else does" he argued. That much was true, Slughorn had clearly not given any indication that he knew she was hiding in the bathroom, otherwise he would have at least given some sort of parting shot, if not escorted her straight back to Gryffindor tower.

"All right, I'll stay" she finally agreed. "If anyone knows I'm here I guess I'll be in the same amount of trouble regardless of when I actually leave" she said with a shrug. Severus smiled warmly, obviously pleased she'd agreed to stay. Really, that was all she wanted, was to be with him. That was definitely the worst part about them not going home for the holidays. It was hard enough being apart during the school term, but being the only girl in her dorm that was staying, the silence at night was almost unbearable. At least when there was a room full of girls there were distractions that passed the time. But being alone? Her mind wandered, and her thoughts kept her awake.

Severus lay back down on the bed, his arm outstretched, waiting for her to snuggle in close to him. She felt him kiss her forehead as she leaned against his chest, listening to the familiar sound of his heart beating in her ear.

"I had another one come through" he said, surprising her by talking, she'd thought he would simply extinguish the lamps so they could sleep.

"Another memory?" she murmured into his chest.

"Mmm" she felt him nodding.

"What did you see?" she asked, pushing herself up on her elbow to study his face.

"A Death Eater meeting" he said simply. Lily tensed beside him. "A meeting about Regulus Black" he said with a frown.

"Oh?" she queried.

"Mmm. He'd been discovered as a traitor to the Dark Lord and _dealt with"_ he told her.

"He's going to turn his back on the Death Eater's?" she asked. That was odd, it wasn't that long ago that they'd discovered he'd already been marked as one.

"We can't rule it out" he told her, "Obviously I won't be trusting him any time soon, but -"

"You think he can help?"

"I don't know. I have no idea what prompted him to go against You-Know-Who, that might not even happen. I think I should keep a closer eye on him though, just in case" he explained.

"It can't hurt to watch and see" she agreed, though it would be strange for him to suddenly switch sides.

"For now, though, we should get some sleep" he said, running his hand gently up and down her back.

"Mmm" she nodded, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips, sighing as she pulled away, making herself comfortable against his chest once again.

Severus kissed her forehead one last time before plunging the room into darkness, locking his arms securely around her, holding her close, safe until morning. It didn't take long for both of them to fall into a peaceful slumber.

...

As soon as breakfast was over, Severus dashed through the halls and corridors of the Castle, making the familiar journey to Dumbledore's office. His heart raced as he thought about that single memory, how many answers it could possibly give them. It was exciting. And it was terrifying. It could confirm that they already had all the knowledge required to destroy Voldemort. Or it could show them that this task was so enormous that they couldn't possibly even hope to be free of his horrors in their lifetime. Or somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. Either way, he was minutes away from finding out.

Severus gave the password to the gargoyle guarding the staircase, waiting for it to move aside, granting him access to the spiral stairs. Seconds later and the Headmaster was calling him inside.

"Ah, good morning, Severus. I trust you are well this fine day?" he greeted pleasantly.

"I think it's going to get better, Sir" he said, breathing heavily from his hasty steps.

"Oh? Another memory?" he asked curiously, sitting forward in his chair.

"Yes, only this one isn't one of mine" he said with a smirk, carefully removing the crystal bottle from his robes, waiting for Dumbledore's next comment. The Headmaster stared at the bottle with a stunned expression on his face.

"Professor Slughorn?" he whispered.

"He visited my room in the early hours of this morning. He wanted me to have this to 'even the playing field'" Severus told him. Dumbledore exhaled heavily, rising from his seat to retrieve the Pensieve.

"For years, I had hoped he would share the true memory. More so since your involvement in our quest, Severus. Did he tell you anything else?"

"Just that he only realised his mistake once it was too late" Severus said quietly.

"I believe we should view this together, then" the Headmaster said, gesturing towards the shimmering bottle. Severus nodded, removing the stopper and pouring the contents into the familiar stone basin. Without another word, the two men plunged their faces into the swirling contents, tumbling through the darkness until they were once again in Professor Slughorn's office.

The memory began in exactly the same way as the altered version he'd seen weeks before, Slughorn was there in his comfortable armchair, feet resting on the velvet pouffe, rummaging in the box of crystallised pineapple. The Slug Club was there - six boys, including Tom Riddle with that hideous ring sat upon his finger.

"Sir, is it true that Professor Merrythought is retiring?" Riddle asked curiously.

"Tom, Tom, if I knew I couldn't tell you" Slughorn told him as he wagged his finger at him, winking as he did so, "I must say, I'd like to know where you get your information, boy; more knowledgeable than half the staff you are" he added. Riddle smiled as the other boys gave him admiring glances.

"What with your uncanny ability to know things you shouldn't, and your careful flattery of the people who matter - thank you for the pineapple, by the way, you're quite right, it is my favourite - I confidently expect you to rise to Minister for Magic within twenty years. Fifteen if you keep sending me pineapple. I have 'excellent' contacts at the Ministry" Slughorn boasted. Riddle smiled again as the surrounding boys laughed.

"I don't know that politics would suit me, Sir. I don't have the right kind of background, for one thing"

"Nonsense, couldn't be plainer you come from decent wizarding stock, abilities like yours. No, you'll go far, Tom, I've never been wrong about a student yet" Slughorn told him. Severus frowned. That was a dangerous word - _yet -_ especially considering who he was talking to.

"Good gracious, is it that time already?" Slughorn asked as the clock chimed eleven. "You'd better get going, boys, or we'll all be in trouble. Lestrange, I want your essay by tomorrow or it's detention. Same goes for you, Avery"

The boys began to file out of the room as Slughorn heaved himself up, carrying his empty wine glass over to his desk.

"Look sharp, Tom, you don't want to be caught out of bed out of hours, and you a prefect..."

"Sir, I wanted to ask you something"

"Ask away, then, m'boy, ask away"

"Sir, I wondered what you knew about... about Horcruxes?" Riddle asked cautiously. Slughorn stared at him for a moment.

"Project for Defence Against the Dark Arts, is it?" he asked suspiciously. _Not likely._ No Professor would even mention the topic of Horcruxes.

"Not exactly, Sir. I came across the term while reading and I didn't fully understand it" Riddle said.

"No... well... you'd be hard-pushed to find a book at Hogwarts that'll give you details on Horcruxes, Tom. That's very Dark stuff, very Dark indeed" Slughorn told him.

"But you obviously know about them, Sir? I mean, a wizard like you - sorry, I mean, if you can't tell me, obviously. I just know if anyone could tell me, you could - so I just thought I'd ask" Riddle asked almost casually, careful implications that if anyone knew about advanced magic, Slughorn would, a gentle stroking of the old Professor's ego. Not something Severus could, or would, ever do.

"Well" Slughorn spoke hesitantly, fiddling with the ribbon on his box of crystallised pineapple. "Well, it can't hurt to give you an overview, of course. Just so that you understand the term. A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul"

"I don't quite understand how that works, though, Sir" Riddle said, a current of excitement lacing his carefully controlled tone.

"Well, you split your soul, you see, and hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one's body is attacked and destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But, of course, existence in such a form..." Slughorn stopped, suppressing a shudder at the thought, "... few would want it, Tom, very few. Death would be preferable"

"How do you split your soul?" Riddle asked, not even bothering to hide his excitement now.

"Well, you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature" Slughorn said uncomfortably.

"But how do you do it?"

"By an act of evil - the supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage; he would encase the torn portion -"

"Encase? But how -?"

"There is a spell, do not ask me, I don't know!" Slughorn snapped, shaking his head "Do I look as though I have tried it - do I look like a killer?"

"No, Sir, of course not" Riddle said quickly "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to offend..."

"Not at all, not at all, not offended" Slughorn said gruffly, he looked more than a little offended, "It's natural to feel some curiosity about these things... wizards of a certain calibre have always been drawn to that aspect of magic..." Severus felt uncomfortable, he too had felt drawn to some aspects that were considered _Dark_.

"Yes, Sir. What I don't understand, though - just out of curiosity - I mean, would one Horcrux be much use? Can you only split your soul once? Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces? I mean, for instance, isn't seven the most powerfully magical number, wouldn't seven -?"

"Merlin's beard, Tom!" Slughorn yelped, "Seven! Isn't it bad enough to think of killing one person? And in any case... bad enough to divide the soul... but to rip it into seven pieces..." he continued in disbelief. Slughorn suddenly looked troubled as he gazed at Riddle, as though he was seeing him clearly for the first time.

"Of course" Slughorn muttered, "this is all hypothetical, what we're discussing, isn't it? All academic..?"

"Yes, Sir, of course" Riddle answered quickly.

"But all the same, Tom... keep it quiet, what I've told - that's to say, what we've discussed. People wouldn't like to think we've been chatting about Horcruxes. It's a banned subject at Hogwarts, you know... Dumbledore's particularly fierce about..."

"I won't say a word, Sir" Riddle said, before making his way out of Slughorn's office, a look of wild happiness on his face that twisted his features, making him seem less human.

"I think that should do for today" Dumbledore said. Severus nodded as he felt himself being tugged back out of the Pensieve, once again face to face with the Headmaster in his office.

For a few moments neither said a word, merely glanced at each other and back to the Pensieve, at what they had just witnessed. The insanity of Riddle apparent even then, and a younger age than Severus currently was. It was scary to see how he had managed to manipulate the information from Slughorn, but wasn't that how he'd gained his followers in the first place? Others had flocked around him thanks to his natural charm and the ability to portray himself as something great. He'd used his abilities to unlock every bit of information he needed, to locate all the items he felt he needed to complete his quest. Becoming immortal. Horace Slughorn hadn't stood a chance. Severus couldn't help but feel sorry for him, but they couldn't dwell on that now. Not when they had an answer after all their waiting.

"Seven" Severus finally said, meeting Dumbledore's gaze. "Seven pieces"

"Seven pieces. Or at least, that was his intention when he began this process"

"His soul is not yet in seven pieces, he doesn't have a snake yet, does he?" Severus asked hopefully.

"Not that I am aware of" Dumbledore confirmed. Severus nodded.

"Right, so that means he's in six pieces now, then" Severus said.

"Correct"

"We've removed two of them already - the Ring and the Diadem" Severus said, thinking out loud more than anything.

"We have" Dumbledore smiled.

"So counting Voldemort himself as one of those six pieces" Severus said, his breathing shallow "that would leave three to find and destroy to make him mortal"

"It would indeed" Dumbledore agreed.

"Three pieces that we already know about - the Diary, the Cup, and the Locket" Severus said, gripping the Headmaster's desk to stop his hands from shaking.

"Quite so" Dumbledore said as he sank back into his chair. Severus began pacing the room as he so often did, his thoughts spinning with this new information. Just three items. He knew about three items already. He knew where two of them were hidden.

"We need to find out where that Locket is hidden" Severus said suddenly, without locating that it didn't really matter if they managed to destroy the other two pieces.

"I am still investigating, Severus" Dumbledore assured him.

"And we need a way to get that Cup from the Lestrange's" that item would be problematic. Hopefully Dobby would be able to help them with the Diary, otherwise it would mean raiding both manors simultaneously _after_ getting rid of the Locket - taking those items by force would be a dead giveaway that they were hunting Horcruxes, the final showdown with Voldemort would have to happen immediately - before he could make himself any more of these evil objects. Subtlety was definitely preferable.

"We _can_ do this, Severus" Dumbledore said sincerely. Severus nodded. They _could_ do this. Couldn't they?

"It still won't be easy, but at least we have a number. We know that those three are the final three" he said as he released a heavy breath.

"Hopefully Dobby will pay you a visit before too long" Dumbledore said.

"We said after the holidays, but I suppose it depends on when he can slip away without the Malfoy's noticing" Severus said.

"I will have a likeness of the Diary prepared for you before the holidays are over. I trust you can take care of it with Dobby?" the Headmaster told him.

"Yes, Sir" he said quietly, almost surprised that he was being left in charge of acquiring the Diary.

"Excellent. For now, I think that shall do nicely" Dumbledore said with a smile. Severus nodded, turning to leave the office, eager to fill Lily in on what he'd seen, especially now there seemed to be some hope that he actually stood a chance.

"Oh, one thing before I go" Severus said, pausing as he reached the doorway, "Another memory came through, a Death Eater meeting where we were informed by Voldemort that he'd executed Regulus Black for deserting his ranks" he told him.

"You think Regulus has second thoughts about the path he has recently committed himself to?" the Headmaster asked curiously.

"I don't know" Severus shrugged, "the circumstances that caused his betrayal weren't revealed, and the same situation may not present itself this time. It's worth keeping an eye on though, don't you think?"

"Indeed it is. Good day, Severus" Dumbledore smiled.

"Good day, Sir" and with that final sentiment, Severus quickly swept from the office, off to share his new information with Lily. Feeling happy and hopeful, and a newfound lightness in his step.

...

Voldemort paced around the Malfoy's library, waiting for Regulus Black to arrive as he'd requested. He'd arrived early himself, an urge to check on an item he'd left in the possession of Lucius. The Prophecy had... irritated him, for lack of a better word. A Prophecy indicating that someone had the power to defeat him and was among them already. Severus Snape. Everything pointed to him. He'd heard from his loyal Slytherins that Dumbledore had taken an almost unnatural level of interest in the boy over a year ago. Dumbledore also suspected Severus was the one who would destroy him, and was obviously keeping him close.

He was curious at what else the Prophecy implied, _"he can uncover the secrets of the soul"._ He wasn't sure if that meant Severus had the same plan as himself - to anchor his soul to this existence for all eternity with several Horcruxes. Would Severus attempt to _vanquish_ him as the Seer so eloquently stated, and take his position as a new _Dark Lord?_ Or did Severus know what he had done?

The best plan he had for now was to check that his own Horcruxes were safe. He'd already checked the Cup was safe in the Lestrange's Manor, tonight he would check that the Diary was safe, and once Regulus arrived he would check on the new defences he'd set up to protect his Locket. The Ring was safe was safe in the old shack, out in the wilderness where no one stood a chance of finding it. The only one he couldn't check on was the Diadem he had stashed right under the old fool's nose. Even Dumbledore wouldn't think to check the Castle for hidden items, and even on the slight chance that had an inkling, he'd never find that secret room. Of that he was certain. No, no one would discover _his_ secrets.

Voldemort ran his fingers along the edge of the heavy oak bookshelf, scanning the titles on the spines of the books, searching for his own. His eyes settled on a non-descript black leather bound book. Carefully, he slid it from the shelf. Intact. Created so many years ago, right under Dumbledore's nose, proof that he'd opened the Chamber of Secrets as was his right as the heir of Slytherin, and rid the school of a pathetic Mudblood. It was only a shame he hadn't been able to send all the filthy Mudbloods scurrying back to their hovels. It was no matter now, he would purge the earth of them all before too long. Only _true_ wizards would be left. Satisfied, he slid his old Diary back onto the shelf. Safe and secure until the time came to open the chamber again.

A knock sounded on the library door. Voldemort turned to see young Regulus Black striding confidently towards him, kneeling at his feet to kiss the hem of his cloak.

"My Lord" the young wizard greeted respectfully. Voldemort smiled, Regulus was the perfect follower. Young, determined, raised with the proper Pureblood ideals by his family. He was as all wizards should be.

"Regulus, stand" he ordered. "Any news from Hogwarts?"

"I am told that Snape rarely leaves his room, my Lord" Regulus told him.

"Nothing has been heard of his plans" he asked with a frown.

"I'm afraid not, my Lord. Though, I am told his mother visited the castle a few days ago"

"His mother?" Voldemort asked curiously.

"Yes, my Lord. Eileen Snape - formerly Prince"

"Eileen Prince?" _that_ was curious. She'd been in Slytherin, a few years younger than himself. A Pureblood witch who'd abandoned her birth right for a filthy Muggle. Her family had taken the only course of action they could, casting her out of the family completely, pretending she never existed. Perhaps that could be of interest later as the War progressed.

"Interesting. Very interesting indeed" Voldemort smiled. Yes, she could be a useful tool against Severus.

"How else may I be of assistance this evening, my Lord?" Regulus asked carefully.

"I am in need of a house-elf, just for the evening, one that can be trusted without question" Voldemort explained, he knew Regulus had an extremely loyal elf in his family home.

"My Lord, I would be most honoured to offer you the services of Kreacher" Regulus suggested. Voldemort smiled. Perfect.

"Excellent, Regulus. Summon him, if you will" he instructed.

"Of course, my Lord. ' _Kreacher'"_ Regulus called. A loud 'crack' and the ugly little elf was standing before them.

"Master Regulus called for Kreacher?" the elf asked, bowing low.

"Kreacher, our Lord requires your assistance this evening"

"Of course, master Regulus. It is an honour to serve the Dark Lord" the elf told them.

"Excellent" Voldemort said.

"Listen to our Lord carefully, Kreacher, and return home as soon as your task is complete" Regulus instructed.

"Of course, master Regulus. Kreacher will listen and return home to his Master" the elf told him.

"Your elf shall return to you as long as it is feasible for him to do so" Voldemort told them. No chance the elf was returning to the boy, if the potion didn't finish him off, the inferi would. Or at least, that was the plan that would be tested tonight.

"Of course, my Lord" Regulus said with a bow.

"Leave us now, Regulus. There is work I must do" Voldemort ordered. Bowing his head a final time, Regulus left the room, leaving Voldemort ready to leave with Kreacher, to apparate to the hidden cave by the sea.


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

It was freezing up on the Astronomy tower and Lily pulled her cloak more tightly around herself as the bitter wind whipped through. Lily was sat between Severus' legs, her back against his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around her as well.

They could make out shadows on the grounds far below, students milling about knee deep in the snow, in the darkness, their wands lit looking like fireflies dancing in the night. They would go back to their rooms soon, curfew had been extended tonight so that the few students that remained in the Castle could watch the fireworks Hogsmeade would be letting off soon to see in the new year.

Lily shivered again as another gust of wind blew and Severus tightened his grip on her. Severus kissed her neck then, his warm breath tickling her cheek. She couldn't help but smile, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the sensation, it was definitely warming. Deciding it was still too cold, she began rummaging for her wand.

"What are you doing?" Severus whispered in her ear, still placing gentle kisses on her neck.

"Warming charm, don't know why I didn't think of it sooner" she admitted, finally retrieving her wand, muttering a spell that warmed the air around them slightly. Lily sighed, relaxing now that she wasn't quite as cold, though still immensely glad to have her cloak and Severus' arms wrapped around her.

"Better, love?" he asked softly.

"Mmm" she mumbled, snuggling close against him, letting her head fall back against his shoulder as he kissed the side of her jaw, "I think 1978 is going to be just awesome" she whispered, she didn't miss the fact that Severus suddenly tensed around her. "What is it?" she asked, trying to catch his eye.

"Nothing" he said, shaking his head. Liar.

"You don't think it will be?" she asked.

"I think some if it will be" he told her, "Quite honestly I'm terrified about the rest of it" he added. She'd almost forgotten about the War. His quest.

"But you have a plan now, right?" she asked him.

"Mmm, sort of. I have a plan for getting hold of one of the items but I can't do anything about that until Dobby comes back" he said.

"And the other two?"

"Still have no idea at all where one of them is hidden. The other might as well be on Mars for how easy it will be to get" he said sadly.

"So when Dobby comes back you tell him what you're looking for and hope he can fetch it for you?"

"Mmm, Dumbledore has made a copy to switch it out, it should fool anyone taking a casual glance" he said.

"But what if anyone looks more closely? What if You-Know-Who suspects you've figured out what he's done?" she asked him "He knows the Prophecy" and that worried her, "If he gets worried and finds out the Diary is a fake, then he's going to move the Cup and the Locket from wherever that may be. Or make more Horcruxes, then we'll be right back to square one" she told him.

"I don't think we have much choice in the matter" he said sadly "We need to get the ones we know about in case he moves them"

"I don't think you should swap the Diary until you've located the Locket, or at least have a plan for retrieving the other items. When Dobby comes back, just get him to locate the Diary, hold off swapping it until you have more of a plan for the other two" she explained quietly.

"Perhaps you're right" he finally nodded. It was just too risky. If Voldemort started checking up on his possessions and found them either missing or fake, the other Severus' memories wouldn't make a scrap of difference to the War.

Lily glanced at her watch, it was only ten minutes until midnight. Ten minutes left of 1977. And that had been quite a year. Some of it good, like the time they had spent together and the deepening of their relationship. Some of it bad, like the fact that Severus was being hunted by Voldemort. She couldn't help but feel like during the following year the good things would be even better, and the bad things would be even worse.

"Mum sent some photos" she said quietly, turning to conversation to another subject she found unpleasant.

"Photos?"

"The wedding" she almost growled, reaching into the small bag she'd brought with her, taking out an envelope, removing a handful of photos of the 'happy couple'. "What do you think?" she asked, showing him the first photo.

"Hmm" he frowned, "she looks like she belongs on the top of a toilet roll" he said.

"Sev!" she admonished playfully, nudging him with her elbow.

"What?" he shrugged, "I'm not wrong"

"I never said you were." Well, he wasn't wrong. Petunia's dress was enormous, great ruffles and frills. Hideous. She couldn't say much better about the groom. She shuffled quickly through the assorted photos, finding one of her parents. "Mum and Dad look happy"

"They do" Severus agreed with her, "Are you ok?" he asked quietly when she stared silently at her parents faces.

"Mmm. I still can't believe I wasn't allowed to go. She's my sister" she said sadly.

"I know" he said, kissing her cheek again "You can return the favour when it's our wedding" he whispered.

"Our wedding?" she teased, not even bothering to stop herself from smiling.

"Mmm" he nodded against her cheek, she could tell he was smiling too.

"It won't be that long until school is over. Only six months"

"Just need to get through NEWT's first" he reminded her.

"We really should revise for those" she laughed. They hadn't done much revision so far, they'd been too focused on retrieving that Diadem for a start. And Severus had wanted to spend some time brewing and experimenting. She had to convince him there were other exams to pass that didn't involve Potions.

"And we need to think about applying for training programmes" he said.

"That's true. Still Potions for you?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Obviously" he smirked. "Still Healing for you?"

"I think so" she answered, pretty certain that was what she wanted.

Suddenly a flash lit up the sky as fireworks rocketed up from the village. Brilliant bursts of colour that leapt and swirled, dancing in the darkness creating beautiful shapes and patterns.

"Happy New Year, Sev" she whispered, shifting to meet his eyes more easily.

"Happy New Year, Lily" he answered softly, before their lips met, kissing each other deeply as the fireworks continued.

In spite of everything she knew this year _would_ be amazing. Right now, she didn't care about Petunia's wedding, or the need to find the remaining Horcruxes, or their fast approaching NEWT's. She didn't even care that they couldn't leave the Castle thanks to Voldemort hunting them, or the War that was bound to find them in the months to come.

All she cared about was how much she loved the man that held her in his arms as if she was the most precious thing he could ever hold. She cared about spending the rest of her life with her best friend. Yes. 1978 was going to be awesome.

...

The students hadn't even been back at school for a week and Severus was already finding the noise of the general bustling to be annoying. Normality for Hogwarts had resumed, homework was being issued, studying was being done as though nothing outside of the Castle walls mattered. And everyone seemed determined to make as much noise as humanly possible. As usual, Severus spent much of his time between the library and his room with Lily by his side, studying, researching, discussing whatever they could, whenever they could.

He tried not to think about the Horcruxes too much, didn't want thoughts of tracking them down to dominate every second of his time. Tried not to think about the fact that for all the answers they had, they were once again in a waiting game. Dumbledore didn't discuss any plans with him - whether that was because he didn't actually have any yet, or because he didn't think now was the time to move - he wasn't entirely sure. Severus thought they needed to keep moving forwards. Dumbledore preached of the need to be patient. All would work out eventually. In the end.

Severus groaned as he rolled over in bed, not really wanting to get up yet, but it was Monday morning and classes were in full swing. And it was double Potions first thing this morning. With Lily. Not a bad start to his birthday, _but maybe just five more minutes first_ , he thought as he closed his eyes again.

Just as he felt himself dozing off again, he heard his bedroom door open, and fought the urge to bolt out of bed and grab his wand. Instead, he peeked an eye open to see Lily tip toeing over towards him. Logically, he knew she was the only other person with access to his room, the only person he had shared his password with. He hadn't even told Dumbledore.

He quickly snapped his eye shut again, feigning sleep as she perched on the edge of his bed. Her hand rested lightly on his chest as she leaned towards him.

"You can't fool me that easily, you know" she teased, amusement clear in her voice, "I know you're awake." He didn't answer her, tried not to open his eyes, or let the corners of his mouth betray him, quirking into a smile as they wanted to.

Severus felt her breath on his lips for a second before she finally kissed him, a gentle hand brushed the hair away from his cheek. He eagerly responded, wrapping his arms around her as their lips moved. Finally, he opened his eyes, sighing as she pulled away from him, lighting the lamps with a flick of her wand.

"Good morning, Lily" he said softly, meeting her brightly sparkling eyes.

"Happy birthday" she answered, leaning in to kiss him again.

"So you knew I was awake?" he asked curiously.

"Your heart was beating too fast for you to be sleeping" she laughed.

"Ah. That would explain it" he grinned.

"You don't mind me letting myself in?" she asked.

"I told you, you can let yourself in whenever you want" he assured her. She nodded again then, apparently satisfied. Severus sat himself up against the headboard, shifting over to make room for her to sit beside him. She smiled at him again as she grabbed her bag, removing a couple of parcels wrapped in green paper.

"Presents!" she exclaimed, placing them in his lap.

"Thank you" he nodded, picking up the one on the top, a book and some chocolate from her parents. "I'll send them a note later" he assured her, putting them to one side, reaching for the second parcel, unwrapping it to find a photo album. He looked at the cover for a moment before he opened it, pictures of himself and Lily greeted him. Still, Muggle photos of their childhood, their first summer together in the park, long before Hogwarts. Lily's vibrant green eyes staring straight back out at him, his own dark eyes mostly staring at the Lily in the photos, a nervous expression on his face as the photo Lily grasped his hand.

He turned the pages, finding more snapshots of their past, frozen in time. The Severus and Lily in the photos grew taller as the pages went on, became teenagers, the people they were now. But some things remained the same. The photo Lily smiled out brightly, or smiled at him, always looking so alive. The photo Severus glanced cautiously, unsure of himself, until the last year when he finally realised she loved him as much as he loved her. Only then did he start to hold himself more confidently.

He barely got halfway through the album before the photos ended.

"Plenty of room for us to keep adding to the album" she told him, "I had Mum's help with this, obviously" she added.

"Thank you" he told her, not used to such gifts, never really one for sentimental musings in the past. But this was different. This was Lily. Himself and Lily, the whole of their relationship played out, for half their lives they'd been best friends. From the bubbly little girl and shy little boy they'd been when he finally spoke to her that first time in the park, to the beautiful, intelligent woman who was by his side, and the quietly confident man he was becoming. The man who now had a place in the world, and a difference to make.

"I'm sorry I don't have anything else, it's not easy to shop when..."

"When we can't leave the Castle. I know. I don't need gifts though, Lily. I only need you, you are more than enough for me" he told her sincerely. More than he deserved, or so he thought, though he didn't voice that out loud. She didn't like it when she thought he was putting himself down, so he tried to keep his insecurities to himself.

"I love you" she told him, her bright green eyes staring deep into his own dark ones.

"I love you too" he replied, leaning in to kiss her soft lips again. He was never going to tire of that, he wanted nothing more than to pull her under the covers with him, hide the two of them away for the day, lost together. But Slughorn would notice if they didn't show up for Potions, birthdays did not get you out of classes. And there was always the chance that the Marauders would start looking for them on the Map again, no doubt in his mind that Potter would send a teacher or two their way sooner or later.

Reluctantly, he pulled himself away, knowing in an instant that she felt the same way.

"We should get down to breakfast before it's too late" he told her.

"I know" she said sadly, though didn't move away from him. He threw back the covers then, grabbing his uniform and heading for the bathroom, quickly changing for the day ahead.

When he came back in the room, Lily was waiting by the door for him, her bag firmly over her shoulder. He smiled warmly as he fetched his own books for the day, stuffing them quickly into his bag.

"Breakfast, then?" she asked.

"Breakfast" he nodded, threading his fingers through hers, letting her lead him away from his room, back into life among the noisy students.

...

January was disappearing quickly, and Regulus still wasn't sure what he should do. He still spent his days with his fellow Slytherins - the ones that had been marked, and the ones that were hoping to be once they had finished with Hogwarts. Pettigrew still came to him each week, bringing him information that had no relevance or importance whatsoever. Pettigrew could tell him nothing about Snape that he didn't already know. And a huge part of him was unsure what to do next.

For his entire life he'd been raised with Pureblood ideal by his parents, taught that as a Pureblood from an ancient and noble house, he would have a higher place in society, that he should expect more in life. He was taught that Mudbloods weren't _real_ wizards, their magic didn't really matter, they were barely any different to Muggles. And he'd believed that completely. He'd wanted to.

The Dark Lord had been a dream come true for many Pureblood families, a means to an end. He wanted to put _true_ wizards in their proper place - at the pinnacle of society. Half bloods could be tolerated, they could be very useful when it came to _getting things done_. But Muggles? They weren't needed, a plague if anything, that could be wiped out with little consequence. Mudbloods? Well, they wouldn't necessarily be a great loss in the grand scheme of things. That would leave the world free for magic to blossom, no need for wizards to hide themselves away. No more fear. Only magic.

Regulus agreed with it, for the most part if he was honest - though he didn't really _like_ the idea of mass slaughter of millions of humans - magical or not. And over the Christmas holidays he'd had another taste of what the Dark Lord had in store for other magical beings. And he didn't like that at all. He would in fact, go so far as to say he hated what he'd witnessed.

But that didn't mean he knew what he was supposed to do next. He needed to talk to Snape. But how was he supposed to do that? He knew Snape was key in the War. The whole War. The Dark Lord was certain of it, he'd informed some of his Death Eater's of the Prophecy's contents. Regulus had been one of those - he was held in high regard by Bellatrix, Lucius and Narcissa. He was _liked_ by the Dark Lord, as much as the Dark Lord liked anyone. _'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord... he can uncover the secrets of the soul.'_

Severus Snape would destroy the Dark Lord. He needed to talk to him, and he didn't think Snape would listen to a word he said, but he had to find a way to try. And he had to find a way to do it without any of the other Death Eater's becoming even slightly suspicious, everyone had to believe he was nothing but the most devoted, most loyal of servants to their Master. But it was becoming increasingly obvious their Master was more than a little insane. For the first time in his life, he was thankful that his family had insisted on practicing Occlumency from an early age - of course his brother had been hideously bad at that, far too impulsive, far too rash, it was no wonder Sirius would up in Gryffindor he didn't have a subtle bone in his body. At least he'd taken to the art rather well, he'd need every bit of skill to deceive his _friends._

For the last three weeks he'd watched Snape from afar, debating internally over the best way to approach him. The best way to start a conversation that wouldn't have him hauled off to the Headmaster. Though admittedly, Dumbledore was working with Snape against the Dark Lord, maybe he'd be more willing to listen. He knew Snape was aware of him watching, no doubt believing he was simply spying, he'd seen the curious glances he'd received in return.

This evening, he'd followed Snape out of the Great Hall, for once he'd gone alone, not with the Mudblood - Evans was sitting with a small group of girls at the Gryffindor table. Regulus hurried to catch up with Snape, he didn't want to lose sight of him, or approach him until they were definitely alone.

Regulus swore aloud when he rounded a corner, finding the corridor deserted, no sign of Snape - the boy was obviously faster, or sneakier, than he'd given him credit for. Sighing heavily, he turned to find a wand pointed between his eyes. Yes, Snape was definitely sneaky. Regulus swallowed nervously, meeting Snape's mistrusting eyes levelly, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Why have you been following me?" Snape growled.

"I just need to talk to you, Snape. That's all" he said quietly.

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Not at all" he answered, giving a slight shake of his head, "Actually, I think you're one of the few in this place with any level of intelligence"

"Spare me" Snape scoffed, "I'm not interested in joining the _Dark Lord_ , when are you lot going to get that?"

"He doesn't want you to join him, he wants you dead" Regulus said simply. Which was true. Snape was a threat to his power now, he wanted that threat gone. Snape growled in annoyance.

"So what _do_ you want, then?"

"To talk. It's important" he told him. Snape stared at him for a moment.

"Fine. Come with me" he said, striding off down the corridor. Regulus hurried to keep up with him, following him up another flight of stairs before heading into one of the unused classrooms. Snape held the door open, gesturing him inside.

Once inside the empty room, Snape locked and warded the door, casting several spells. Regulus looked at him curiously.

"Privacy spells, I'm assuming you don't want an audience" Snape said, keeping his wand aimed at him.

"No. If any of my friends find out what I'm about to tell you, I'll most likely wind up dead" he snapped, folding his arms across his chest.

"Oh?" Snape frowned, taking a step closer.

"The Dark Lord is insane" Regulus said. Snape snorted.

"Really? I hadn't noticed" he retorted sarcastically.

"I'm serious. He's insane. He needs stopping"

"And you're coming to me because...?" Snape shrugged.

"Because you're the one who can stop him. I've been told the Prophecy" he said. Snape rolled his eyes. "The Black's are favoured by the Dark Lord. You know how to get rid of him"

"Why would you want to get rid of him when you are so favoured?" Snape asked suspiciously.

"It's not that simple" he snapped, "Just because my family is favoured doesn't mean I want to see the rest of the world go up in flames, or for Muggles to be exterminated like cockroaches!"

"So what do you want?"

"I want to help you get rid of him. If I can"

"You want to be a spy?"

"In a manner of speaking"

"You do realise you'll be killed if you get caught"

"Then I won't get caught. You're not the only one who is familiar with Occlumency. But that's not why I'm here tonight"

"Why then? Why do you want to get rid of him all of a sudden?"

"He did something... something I find unforgiveable. He borrowed my house-elf for an errand"

"An errand?" Snape frowned.

"To test the defences around... something. Something he'd hidden. Then he left Kreacher to die. I'd ordered him to return to me, so he did. It was awful" he said, closing his eyes, not wanting to picture the pitiful state Kreacher had been in when he returned to him that night.

"What did he do to Kreacher?" Snape asked quietly.

"He took him to a cave, across a lake in a rickety old boat. He forced him to drink a potion, giving him intense pain, nightmarish visions, an unquenchable thirst. Then he abandoned him to a lake of inferi" he explained as he met the other boys eyes. Snape looked thoughtful.

"You wish to protect Kreacher?" he asked.

"Kreacher is my friend" he snapped, "I thought the Dark Lord wanted a world of magic, for magic. All magic. But he doesn't think house-elves have a place in that. He still sees them as inferior, as slaves, as tools to be used and discarded" he said angrily.

"So how do you think you can help?"

"I don't know. You probably don't even want my help" Regulus muttered. He knew Snape wouldn't trust him anyway.

"Why didn't you go to Dumbledore?"

"I thought that would be more suspicious than coming to you. I can explain it as spying on you anyway" he shrugged. Snape nodded, clearly thinking about what he'd been told.

"So, can I help?" Regulus asked, surprised at how much he actually _did_ want to help.

"I don't know" Snape shrugged, "It wouldn't be up to me, Dumbledore's the one fighting this War"

"Talk to him then, tell him what I've told you, and let me know what he says, what I can do" Regulus said sincerely. Snape turned to leave the room, giving a final nod. He paused as he lifted his wand towards the door.

"One last question - what was hidden? In the potion?"

"Some old locket" he shrugged, "No idea that was important about it, or why it needed hiding" he added.

Snape did turn away then, removing the wards he'd cast, unlocking the door, striding away without so much as a backwards glance, leaving Regulus alone again with his thoughts. Leaving him to wonder if it was already too late to stop the Dark Lord's madness.

 **A/N - thanks so much for the kind reviews and messages, I really appreciate your words and you taking the time to contact me. I'm still working hard on the story, it is getting trickier to write as it gets more intricate and the pieces start coming together, and I really hope I'm able to do the story and the characters justice. I will also be re-writing the summary at some point, as I think that could be much better, feel free to comment or message me if you have any pointers on writing a good summary. Take care, see you all soon :)**


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

"And just where do you think you're sneaking off to at this time of day?" Mary's voice called out, stopping Lily in her tracks.

"Nowhere" she shrugged, "And anyway, it's almost 6.30" she protested.

"Mmm. 6.30 on your birthday, you were going to sneak out before we could give you your presents?" Alice asked curiously.

"We know where you were going anyway, we're not stupid" Mary laughed. _Of course they knew._

"Come on, let's go down to the common room" Alice said, jumping out of bed, grabbing a bag on her way to the door. Mary followed close behind, leaving Lily with no other option but to follow them down the stairs.

The girls were settled in two squashy armchairs by the fire, waiting for her, smiling brightly. Lily sighed, easing herself into another of the chairs. She knew they meant well, but all she wanted was to go to Severus, start the day with a warm embrace and a lingering kiss with the man she loved. If they took their time now, she wouldn't get a chance to visit him before lessons started for the day.

"Happy birthday, Lily!" her friends chorused, looking pleased with themselves.

"Thank you" she nodded, smiling back. Waiting.

"And we know you _really_ want to go and find Severus, but you can see him later" Mary said. Lily frowned.

"You spent all yesterday with him"

"Studying!" she interrupted. Well, brewing anyway, she was still helping Severus with his experiments, but she didn't want to tell the girls that.

"You'll be with him in classes, and he can give you his present afterwards" Alice added. "He won't mind you spending some time with us now"

"Of course he wouldn't mind" Lily chimed in, wondering what they were getting at. It wasn't because of Severus that she wanted to find him, _she_ wanted to be with him.

"I think he's planning something for you anyway, for later" Mary said.

"I doubt that, apart from spending some time together like we usually do" Lily shrugged, he hadn't mentioned any plans to her, and she wasn't expecting a present - he hadn't been anywhere since the summer, same as her. She didn't need him to get her anything, she just wanted him.

"Well, in any case, you're spending some time with us before classes, and Severus _after_ classes" Alice told her.

"Does Severus know about that plan?" she asked curiously. Alice shrugged.

"He won't mind" Alice said. "Anyway, presents!" she added. Lily wanted to laugh, she wasn't particularly fussed about receiving presents, though she appreciated the thought that went into them. She watched quietly as her two friends removed a few prettily wrapped parcels from the bags they'd brought with them.

"Come on then, start opening!" Mary instructed, gesturing towards the gifts that were laid in front of her. Lily surrendered, reaching for one of the parcels.

The time passed quickly as she opened the gifts, the usual assortment of girly presents - perfume, pretty earrings, a silk purse, chocolates. All lovely items her friends had chosen for her. Lily thanked them both sincerely, standing to hug the girls.

"We should get ready for breakfast" Alice said, both her and Mary were still in their nightclothes, though Lily had already dressed before attempting to sneak out of the dorm.

"I'll come back up with you and put these away" Lily said, indicating the small pile of gifts.

The three made their way back up to the dorms, Lily stashing her presents in her trunk while her friends quickly dressed.

"So, how are things with Frank?" Lily asked Alice, with spending all her free time with Severus she did miss out on a lot of the gossip.

"It's great" Alice grinned, "We're still writing to each other"

"You're going to meet up again at Easter?"

"I hope so. You're so lucky, you get to see Severus every day, it's awful having to wait months between visits" she said frustratedly.

"I can imagine" Lily said. She didn't want to imagine having to wait so long apart, she didn't think she'd be able to do it, he was such a huge part of her life and had been for so long, she couldn't really think what it would be like if they were suddenly away from each other.

"It's not fun at all. At least we can write to each other though. And it won't be long until school is over"

"Only a few months" Lily agreed. That was still a terrifying thought. She had no idea what would be waiting for them outside the Castle's walls.

"How is he finding the Auror training?" Lily asked.

"Difficult, but he likes it. I sent off my application last week, just need to wait and see now"

"Mmm, I can see you as an Auror, getting all the information" Lily teased.

"Have you sorted your application yet?" Alice asked.

"Just about have it finished. Still a couple of things to add, then it's good to go"

"Are you applying to St Mungo's? To their Healer training program?"

"Mmm. I think that's for the best" she told her, though she wasn't 100% sure it was right for her.

"I still think you'd make a good teacher" Mary put forward.

"Not so practical if you want a life, though" Lily argued. "Maybe in the future" she smiled.

"You and Severus should both become teachers, that would certainly make Hogwarts interesting" Alice grinned.

"Oh please" Lily snorted, "Sev would hate being a teacher!" there was no way Severus could spend his life trapped at Hogwarts not only surrounded by children, but attempting to _teach_ them. The kids would no doubt be terrified, by his demeanour, they wouldn't understand the way he portrayed himself. People the same age as him didn't understand him. But, his bark was definitely worse than his bite. She understood him, understood the walls he'd built around himself to protect his heart, his soul. She was the only one he let inside, the only one he shared himself with.

"So what does he want to do, then?" Alice asked.

"Research. He's applying to St Mungo's too, their potions research department"

"He'd be great at that! Very intellectual" Alice teased.

"Are we all ready then?" Mary asked. Lily and Alice nodded, grabbing their school books on the way to the door.

"Oh, one thing before I forget" Mary said, pausing in the doorway "You can't have a birthday without a badge" she grinned, slapping onto her robes a glittering badge with a shining number '18' in the centre. That was fine until is started flashing, like it was lit with neon.

"Mary!" she protested, she hadn't exactly wanted to advertise that it was her birthday "Now everyone's going to see it!"

"I think that was the point" Alice laughed.

"Brilliant" she muttered, rolling her eyes, following as Mary finally left the room.

Soon they were making their way into the Great Hall, taking their usual places at the Gryffindor bench. Lily tried to ignore the random calls of ' _Happy birthday!'_ and ' _18 today, Evans!'_ from anyone who noticed her brightly flashing birthday badge. Instead, she kept an eye out for Severus, desperately hoping he wasn't offended by her not showing up at his room this morning. She couldn't help but worry when he didn't come down to breakfast, really hoped he would be waiting for her in Potions.

Lily ate her breakfast in silence, trying to tune out the noise of her house mates, loud discussions about Quidditch tactics from Potter and Black, Potter even attempting to act out some parts for his friend. Which she had to admit, was mildly amusing, even if it was annoying. And the absence of Severus was distracting.

Deciding she couldn't take any more of the waiting, she mumbled goodbyes to her friends, making a hasty exit from the Hall - more birthday wishes following her as she fled, heading for the dungeons.

She pushed the heavy door open, sighing with relief as she spotted Severus at their usual desk, dark head bent low, scribbling furiously on a scrap of parchment.

"I'm so sorry I didn't come to see you this morning" she whispered as she slipped into the seat beside him. Severus jumped as though he'd had no idea she was even in the room with him.

"That's ok, I had some things to do" he told her, giving her a nervous smile.

"Oh? What things?" she asked.

"Oh, um, you know. Just things" he shrugged. He looked nervous. What on earth could be the matter, he'd been fine over the weekend.

"Right. Are you ok, Sev?" she asked, more than a little worried with his uncharacteristic behaviour.

"Mmm, yes, all fine" he nodded. She wasn't convinced.

"You'd tell me if there was something wrong, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would" he told her as he shifted in his seat, his eyes flickered over her face before noticing the flashing badge. "Nice badge"

"Mary's fault. I can't get it off, it must have some kind of sticking charm on it. It better be temporary" she said shaking her head, if it was permanent she just might throttle her. Or hex her.

"Happy birthday, Lily" he finally said, still smiling nervously.

"Thank you" she replied. "Sev?" she said when he silence stretched on.

"Mmm?"

"I love you"

"I love you, too" he told her, smiling more warmly at that, leaning in to press a quick kiss to her lips before the rest of the class arrived. Maybe he was ok after all. Severus jumped as the students started heading into the class room, quiet chatter filling the dungeon. He gave her another small smile before shoving his notes into his bag. Something was definitely going on, it wasn't like him to be jumpy and nervous.

"Good morning, class" Professor Slughorn boomed as he stood by his desk, glancing around the students as they took their places. Lily tried to hide the badge with her arm, not wanting to attract any attention, birthday or not.

"Today we're going to be brewing the wit-sharpening potion, most, if not all of you, have brewed this successfully in the past, but this stands as excellent revision for you today. You may work in your pairs, or alone if you so wish. Now.. chop chop" he instructed, clapping his hands together.

"Together?" she asked him, relieved when he agreed, heading for the store cupboard for ingredients while he got the cauldron ready.

The two worked in companionable silence, Severus busy chopping the ginger roots while she ground the scarab beetles. More than anything, she wanted to properly talk to him, but Potions class was not the place for that. She knew she would have to wait until classes were over before she could figure out what was playing on his mind today.

...

Severus paced his room nervously, waiting for Lily to find him. He'd had this planned in his head for... well, for years as some abstract daydream, a hope that couldn't possibly be realised. He'd thought about it more seriously over the last year and a half. As time went on, asking Lily to be his wife became more of a reality.

Even with all the plans in the world, even with the blessings of her parents, and ring given to him by his mother, he was still terrified of asking her. He was even pretty certain she would say 'yes'. But he was still scared that he would mess something up. A proposal was supposed to be something romantic, and that's not something that Severus thought he was.

He'd asked Mary and Alice to distract Lily this morning, he knew she'd have wanted to come and see him as soon as she was able. But he needed time to get things ready, and run things through his head once more. That, and he was worried that if he was alone with her he'd just blurt it out randomly instead of making it something special.

Lily had questioned him through the day, she could tell he was nervous, distracted. He kept trying to shrug it off, told her he was fine. Of course, she didn't believe him, and kept giving him curious glances, like she was trying to figure something out. She'd even go so far as to suggest he take some of the wit-sharpening potion they'd brewed today - after she'd stopped him adding too much ginger. He'd laughed it off, knowing she was joking after all. He kept to himself the thought that a calming draught would probably be more useful.

He checked around the room as he paced, checking everything was ready. He'd tried to make the room as nice as he could, conjuring flowers, setting up candles to make it look 'romantic'. He'd swiped some food from the kitchens, creating a picnic spread out on a checked blanket. The best he could come up with for a candlelit dinner for two.

A soft knock at the door stopped him from pacing, she was here now, no more stalling. Severus took a deep breath, opening the door to see her beautiful smiling face.

"Lily, come in" he said, smiling as best he could.

"Sev!" she gasped as she stepped inside, "This looks amazing" she told him.

"I'm glad you like it, I hoped you would" he said as he closed the door.

"It looks wonderful" she assured him, kissing him gently.

"You look beautiful" he told her sincerely, taking her cloak from her, revealing a flattering green dress, the necklace he'd given her for Christmas nestled against her ivory skin. He needed to stop his hands from shaking.

"Are you all right, Sev? You've not been yourself today" she said quietly, a concerned expression on her face.

"I'm all right" he nodded, "Just nervous"

"Nervous? I'm the only one here" she said, looking bemused.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about. Something important" he said, taking a deep breath.

"Oh?"

"I love you, Lily" he said simply, reaching for her hand, distracted for a second by her sparkling eyes. Knowing he had to do this properly for her, he pushed his nerves aside and dropped to one knee. He saw her eyes widen in surprise, her free hand came up to cover her mouth. She knew what was coming next, and for him, everything suddenly became clear. His pre-prepared speech now forgotten, he could only speak from his heart.

"I love you" he repeated again "You have been my best friend for half of my life, and I have loved you for as long as I have known you" he told her, blinking back the tears that he knew were threatening to fall, he could tell she was doing the same, "I cannot imagine a life without you in it, nor do I want to. Lily Evans, it would be the greatest honour if you would consent to becoming my wife, if you would accept me as your husband. Will you marry me?" he finally asked, his voice cracking with emotion as he spoke.

"I love you, Severus" Lily said, grasping his hand tightly, "The only possible answer to that question, is 'yes'" she told him earnestly, tears running down her cheeks. Severus thought that his heart just might burst, or he might pass out. He wanted nothing more than to jump up to his feet and sweep her into his arms, instead, he removed the tiny box from his pocket, opening it to reveal the emerald and diamond ring that matched the necklace she already had. Lily gasped as he slid the ring on to her finger, sniffling back tears as she gazed at his face.

Before he could stand, she'd knelt in front of him, wrapping her arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder. He held her tightly then, finally wrapping his arms around his fiancée, kissing her neck gently before she pulled back to look at his face. Lily stroked his cheek tenderly, both of them fighting back happy tears as their lips met again.

They both laughed as they parted, moving to sit on the floor in front of the bed. Severus slipped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close, pressing a kiss to the side of her head before sighing deeply. Content.

"Is this why you've been so nervous today?" she asked curiously.

"Mmm" he admitted "I wanted it to be special for you"

"Sev, it's us. That will always be special" she told him. Severus smiled as she admired the ring now sitting on her finger. "The ring is beautiful, Sev. Is it another heirloom?" she asked.

"It is, from the same set as the necklace" he told her. "My mother gave them both to me in the summer. She asked me if I intended to ask for your hand"

"And you told her 'yes'?" Lily grinned.

"Of course" he grinned back "And of course, I asked your parents' permission"

"You did?"

"I did. Well, I wrote to them after Christmas" he said.

"And they wrote back? What did they say?" she asked curiously.

"That they were aware of our feelings for each other and they had fully expected us to marry one day. They already see me as part of the family, and I had their blessings to ask you" he explained. Lily grinned, snuggling herself closer to him.

"So, when do you want to get married?" she asked him.

"Honestly? I don't know. I've thought about it, but, I'm not sure what's for the best with this War" he told her.

"Are you wanting to wait until the War is over?"

"We have no idea how long that will be" he said, "we could be waiting a very long time" and was there really any need to wait?

"We could get married in the summer" she told him, "Just a small wedding, us and our parents, we don't need anyone else"

"True, but don't you want a big wedding?" he asked, that would certainly be a factor in 'when'. The money they needed to have a wedding.

"I already told you before, I don't care about a big wedding. I care about becoming your wife" she told him. Severus smiled, feeling warm inside as he held her a little bit tighter. "The important part is that we're together, side by side"

"Definitely. Well, maybe you should write to your parents and let them know I have asked, and you have accepted. See what they think about having a wedding" he said. He would do whatever she asked of him, if she wanted to get married tomorrow he'd do it. Just as he would wait patiently if that was her decision. Lily turned her attention back to the ring, smiling as she ran her finger over the sparkling gems.

The rest of the evening passed far too quickly for Severus' liking, the time spent enjoying the picnic he'd set up for them, along with discussions about their parents, Petunia and Vernon, school work, and lots of passionate kisses.

They both deliberately avoided talking about the War, the Horcruxes, even though that topic never entirely left their minds. It was just too depressing a topic to think about on an evening like this. And he couldn't help but hope that she wanted to marry sooner rather than later, just in case he didn't survive the War. With the Prophecy pointing to him, and his hunt for the Horcruxes, there was a chance he wouldn't make it through. But he refused to dwell on that this evening with Lily in his arms. His fiancée. That was real. And he was truly happy and content that she had agreed to stand by his side.

...

"Welcome, my friends" the Dark Lord whispered as he eyed the members of his Inner Circle. All were masked as usual - apart from Bellatrix, there was no way she would ever conceal her face, whether she was among enemies or 'friends'. Bellatrix was a Death Eater through and through, no one took more pride in that definition, that label, than she did.

Lucius held his breath as the Dark Lord paced, cool grey eyes fixed upon his Master. Waiting.

"My friends. It is time we took a more active role. We have been silent for too long" he said calmly.

"But my Lord, the Prophecy -" an unidentified voice called out.

"Irrelevant" the Dark Lord snapped dangerously "For too many months we have focused on Severus and Dumbledore. I have allowed myself to become distracted from our cause. For this, I apologise" he smirked. Lucius frowned, unsure where this _conversation_ was going.

"In any case, the boy will not be leaving the Castle until the summer, time enough to move forwards in our quest. I will dispose of _him_ as soon as he leaves the old man's protection. He cannot hide from me forever" the Dark Lord purred.

"How can we serve you, my Lord" Bellatrix asked, barely containing her excitement.

"How good of you to ask, Bella" the Dark Lord stared, "Several of you work at the Ministry, yes?" he posed. A couple of men answered that they did. "Very good, you have access to certain _information_ regarding members of the wizarding population?" he asked. "Excellent" he continued as the Ministry workers gave their confirmations. "There are far too many Mudbloods holding positions within our world. They must be dealt with, along with their families. I believe there is someone in the 'Improper Use of Magic Office', and another in the 'Accidental Magic Reversal Squad'. Find their addresses, find their families. Once that is taken care of, a more thorough investigation into anything _Muggle_ related" he spat out. Lucius drew in a deep breath. He should have known more raids were coming, it was only a matter of time before either Dumbledore or the Dark Lord began moving their pieces.

"Yes, my Lord" the Ministry men agreed, they would have to come up with the information quickly. Bellatrix looked positively giddy at the prospect of torturing Muggles. Of murder. Lucius didn't particularly care for it himself, but it was a necessary evil.

"What else do you require of us, my Lord" Bellatrix simpered.

"There are some Pureblood's that have not yet been given a proper invitation. Some they call blood traitors, but they may yet side with us"

"My Lord?" she asked with a quizzical expression.

"You are familiar with the Bones'? The Prewett's? The Weasley's? The Potter's? No?" he asked curiously.

"Blood traitors! All of them!" Bellatrix spat.

"Indeed? Or have they merely fallen for Dumbledore's pretty speeches?" he questioned.

"Watch them. Follow them. _Convince them_ to join my cause. Magic should not be a secret. We should not be hidden" he told them. Murmurs of agreement rippled through the room. This was something Lucius _did_ agree with. Wizards should not be making themselves invisible to make the Muggles feel better about themselves.

"There is another I wish for you to find. A witch from an ancient house, a once proud family of Purebloods"

"My Lord?"

"Eileen Prince. I want her found, and I want her on my side" he instructed.

"Of course, my Lord" Bellatrix agreed readily.

"Good. Leave me now, all of you" the Dark Lord ordered, everyone hastened to obey, black cloaks and silver masks left the dark room, leaving their Master alone to contemplate his next moves.


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

"Merlin, this is bad" Remus said as he sank down on to the Gryffindor bench, pulling a copy of the Daily Prophet towards him.

"Yeah, mate. I saw" James said quietly. Just about everyone must have seen by now, the Great Hall was surprisingly quiet for the number of students in there, no loud chatter, only hushed whispers as some huddled together. Afraid.

"Three families have been murdered" Remus whispered, "Three. In one night!"

"I know, Moony, I know. I guess You-Know-Who was sick of waiting"

"And you can guarantee my mental cousin was right in the middle of it" Sirius growled.

"But _why,_ though? Why those families?" Remus asked.

"Well, it's kind of obvious isn't it?" Sirius said, leaning over Remus' shoulder to read down the article.

"Enlighten me"

"Well this one - Felicity Campbell, she was Muggleborn and held an important position in the office for Improper Use of Magic. They murdered her and her parents - Muggles who created a witch. And it says here that Michael Jones was a Muggleborn Ministry worker too. You-Know-Who is trying to get rid of Muggleborns from the Ministry. They're probably just the first two he's found. There'll be more to come" Sirius said with a dark expression on his face.

"So two families were murdered because they had a relation who was Muggleborn and had an important job at the Ministry?"

"Well, yeah" James agreed, "He'll want to put his own men in these new vacancies - or at least hope that they're filled with people who are more sympathetic to his campaign"

"Well what about the third family?" Remus asked.

"Just Muggles. Probably a random attack, just for being Muggles, he doesn't need more reason to go after them" Sirius sighed.

Remus sighed, glancing back at the moving photograph on the front page - a hideous green Dark Mark in the sky. Proof that innocent lives had been slaughtered. The fear in the room was palpable. Students were afraid; there were many Muggleborns at Hogwarts and if Death Eaters were targeting the families of those working at the Ministry, what was to stop them attacking students own families?

"The Dark Mark seen in three locations, three families murdered" Remus read from the newspaper "Fear at the Ministry as workers as targeted by Death Eaters. You-Know-Who is active once again. Aurors arrived after Death Eaters had fled the scene, no arrests were made" Remus frowned. They didn't even know who was responsible, they only knew it was Death Eaters because the Mark had been cast, because _they_ wanted to send a message to the wizarding world.

"How on Earth are they going to be stopped?" Remus asked, shaking his head.

"No idea, the Ministry has wanted to bury their heads in the sand for the last couple of years" James said.

"And in the meantime You-Know-Who has been building himself an army, now he's starting to use it, isn't he?"

"Mmm, and where's our army? How are we supposed to fight a madman?" James asked with a frown.

"I don't think we're supposed to be fighting, we're still at school" Remus pointed out.

"Well, Dumbledore must be doing something. Isn't he putting together an army to stand against him?" James snapped.

"No idea" Remus shrugged, though it seemed entirely likely. Dumbledore was a powerful wizard, and there were rumours that Voldemort feared him. If the Ministry wasn't prepared to fight, then Dumbledore must be. He'd taken out Grindelwald after all, why wouldn't he do the same again? And it seems like the Headmaster was preparing Snape for something, like he was going to be involved too.

"It has to be Dumbledore" Sirius argued.

"What has to be Dumbledore?" Lily's voice suddenly joined the conversation.

"To fight You-Know-Who" James stated.

"Right. You-Know-Who, What's happened?" she asked, glancing around at the solemn faces. Remus handed the newspaper to her. Lily gasped as she read the report "Oh my God" she whispered.

"I know" Remus sighed.

"But this... this is..." she trailed off. Remus followed the direction of her gaze towards the top table, noticing several of the teachers were missing - including Dumbledore.

"I wonder where everyone is" Remus mused.

"Probably trying to make sense of this" Lily said, tapping the newspaper.

"Maybe he's at the Ministry trying to talk some sense into them. Trying to get them to _do something"_ James said.

"Do you think Snape knows about this yet?" Sirius asked.

"I doubt it, he's supposed to meet me here soon, he won't have seen a paper yet" she shrugged.

"Unless he's with Dumbledore" James snapped. Lily glared at him.

"Why would he be with Dumbledore?" she asked pointedly. Remus sighed.

"Here he comes now" Sirius said, gesturing towards the doorway. Sure enough Severus Snape was striding towards them, frowning as he noticed where Lily was stood.

"What's wrong?" Snape asked her as he reached her side. Lily said nothing, only thrust the paper into his hands. Remus thought he was going to crumple it into a ball, for how tightly his fists were clenched on it. "Fuck" he muttered under his breath.

"I know" Lily whispered. "What about my parents?" she asked, "They can't be safe now" Snape tossed the newspaper down onto the table, before he reached for Lily's hand.

"Come on" Snape said, leading her away from the table.

"Hey! Where are you going?" James shouted after them.

"To get some answers" Snape snapped back before the two quickly disappeared from the Hall.

"Well this just isn't fair" James grumbled, "So he's just going to walk into Dumbledore's office and find out what's going on?"

"They probably just want to make sure her family is safe" Remus pointed out. "I doubt Dumbledore would share any great secrets about the War with him"

"Have you been living under a rock, Moony?" Sirius asked, "Of course they'll talk _War_! They've been having their little meetings for nearly two years! Dumbledore thinks Snape is some kind of bloody saviour!" he snapped. For as far as James and Sirius had come with accepting that Snape was on 'their side', there was still a lingering resentment that he could be playing a role in fighting the darkness.

Remus sighed. The Tarot - the chosen one, the victor. The Prophecy that Voldemort wanted him dead because of. Was Severus a hero? A saviour? A warrior? He was definitely a fighter, and he'd already been given his role to fulfil.

...

Albus sighed as he sank down into his usual chair, behind the desk in his office. It had been a long night to say the least. Reports coming to him from Order members in the Auror department, he'd apparated immediately but they were still too late. Families were dead. No Death Eaters had been captured. They had planned and attacked without warning, and he hadn't suspected a thing, hadn't seen it coming. But Voldemort had sent him a message. Voldemort wasn't going to just sit and wait for Severus, he was making his move now, before Severus was out of school. Voldemort was targeting Muggleborns in the Ministry, there were more that worked there. More that could be targeted. More victims.

When it had become clear they were too late to apprehend any Death Eaters, Albus had spent the night at the Ministry, attempting to get employee records locked, access restricted. He knew there were spies within the Ministry, he had Order members attempting to discover exactly who. He knew there was at least one among the Unspeakables - that was the only way Voldemort could have found out a Prophecy had been made, someone had access to the Hall of Prophecy. Not only that, but they'd eventually uncovered the identity of the Prophecy Keeper. The spy must have worked closely with them to figure that out. And there must be someone with access to employee records - details of heritage, addresses, family members, Muggles that had been informed of magic and accepted the Statute of Secrecy.

He was exhausted, but there was still work to be done, meetings with staff to be had. They needed to decide what to tell students, he needed to reassure them and contain their fears.

"How did things go at the Ministry, Albus?" Minerva asked him as she poured the tea.

"As well as could be expected" he sighed.

"I see" Minerva huffed.

"This was unexpected" Horace said sadly.

"Unfortunately so" Albus agreed, "We had believed him to be solely focused on one thing for the time being"

"The Prophecy?" Minerva asked.

"The Prophecy" Albus agreed.

"Talk of a Prophecy has been thrown around for a while now," Wilfred Ainscott stated, "But I'm still no clearer on _why_. What Prophecy?" he asked. Albus sighed, although Wilfred was a new member of the Order, he hadn't yet been filled in on those details. Very, very few had been. He didn't want more pressure and expectations thrust upon Severus.

"A Prophecy was made last year, stating that someone with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord was among us" he told him.

"And he believes it?" he asked suspiciously.

"He believes it. He has heard it, believes it, believes he knows who it pertains to. Has labelled him his most wanted. In recent times he has been preoccupied with it"

"And you? Do you believe it?" Wilfred asked with a frown.

"I would be a fool not to take every piece of information under consideration" he said with a sigh.

"Prophecies are being treated as information now?"

"Wilfred, it's not quite as simple as that" Albus said, he didn't have any choice but to bring him a little further into the loop.

"I'll say" Minerva muttered.

"There is more you should know, in any case, Wilfred"

"Are you sure that's wise, Albus?" Horace protested.

"Horace and Minerva are already aware of this... information?" Wilfred asked.

"They are. None of the other teachers are aware as yet, and I have no intentions of divulging this to them any time soon. As a member of the Order and Defence instructor, you may be best placed to assist" Albus explained.

A knock at the door interrupted before he could explain any further.

"Enter" Albus called, not at all surprised to see Severus leading a worried looking Lily Evans into the office. "Good morning, Severus. I suspected you would be visiting sometime today" he smiled at the boy.

"I'm sorry, Sir, I didn't realise you were in a meeting" Severus apologised. Albus waved it off.

"Not at all, Severus. This concerns you in any event"

"Sir?" Severus queried.

"Albus?" Wilfred whispered, "Is Severus the one? The one in the Prophecy?" he asked. Severus and Lily turned sharply to their Defence tutor.

"Relax, Severus. Professor Ainscott is an Order member, he is being brought in to help" he explained. Severus sighed, nodding as he did. "I'm assuming you are here because of last night's attacks?"

"Mmm. Are Lily's family safe? He's going after the families of Muggleborns, surely her parents will be high up the list because of me" he said.

"No one is truly safe, Severus" he said sadly. "However, there is an increased risk to Mr and Mrs Evans, yes"

"Are you going to hide them?" Severus asked.

"I will visit them, yes. They may not wish to hide. If that is the case, I will certainly do my best to conceal their house magically, though that would not be without risk" he explained. They'd had this discussion before, about Eileen Snape. Magical wards could attract the attention of the other side. As of yet, there was no reason to believe they knew where Mr and Mrs Evans were, wards would light the house up like a Christmas tree. And he couldn't force them to go into hiding if they refused, the choice had to be theirs.

"So everyone believes that Mr Snape is the one referred to in this Prophecy?" Wilfred asked.

"There are other things outlined in the Prophecy that also points to Severus," Albus told him, "that it's best not to discuss just yet" he added. He didn't miss the look of relief that flickered in Severus' eyes. Severus didn't want people to know about the memories. About the Horcruxes.

"Voldemort believes Severus to be his biggest enemy, the one who could destroy him, so Severus needs to be protected as such. His mother is already in hiding, Severus will not be leaving the Castle anytime soon. Severus is his priority target whether we believe the Prophecy or not"

"Right" Wilfred sighed, "So how can I be of assistance?"

"Training. Severus is skilled in Defence, yes?"

"Most definitely. Top of the class - with Miss Evans not far behind him"

"Additional training sessions, for both of them" Albus stated. "Do not draw attention to these sessions, bring them up to speed with duelling - actual combat rather than a duelling club. They are both targets, they need every chance to defend themselves"

"Of course, Sir" Wilfred said. " I shall arrange a time and get back to you both" he told the two students.

"Excellent. Now, I think that will be all this morning Wilfred, Minerva, Horace. I will address the students at dinner this evening, just try and keep everyone calm in the meantime" Albus said, nodding at his staff members as they rose from their seats, making their goodbyes and leaving Albus alone in his office with Severus and Lily.

"So we're being trained for the Order now?" Severus asked curiously as he took his usual seat, Lily beside him.

"Giving you as much of an advantage as I can" Albus said. "I cannot let you into the Order until your time at school is over - assuming you wish to join. However, I do think a head start is needed, given your particular circumstances" he explained. Severus nodded.

"Will my parents be ok?" Lily asked.

"I will do all I can to help keep them safe, Miss Evans" he tried to assure her. She nodded sadly, casting her eyes to the floor.

"I do have concerns, Sir" Severus began, "If the attacks continue, what if the Aurors try to take out You-Know-Who? If the orders become 'kill' rather than 'capture' -"

"I too share that concern. Right now, the orders are still to capture, but if he is killed in a confrontation before we remove his Horcruxes -"

"We need to get the Horcruxes first, before orders start changing" Severus said simply.

"Otherwise he'd be able to come back, even if you took the Horcruxes out after his death?" Lily asked.

"Yes. The Horcruxes keep that piece of his soul anchored, even if his body dies. The Horcruxes must be destroyed first"

"Removing the anchor" Lily stated.

"Precisely. Has there been any further contact from Dobby?"

"Not yet. I'm hoping that's because he hasn't been able to slip away, and not because they found out and killed him" Severus said. Waiting for Malfoy's house elf was proving tiresome, especially for Severus. "Have you given any more thought on Regulus Black?"

"Do you believe he can be trusted?" Albus asked.

"Yes. Just a gut feeling, but I think we'll need his help"

"His elf knows where the locket is hidden?"

"He said Kreacher was taken to a cave by the sea. Maybe he could take us there. We need to get that Locket"

"We do indeed" Albus agreed.

"If we get that Locket, it gives us more options for retrieving the two items in the Death Eater's mansions - they'd be the only two left" Severus pointed out.

"Very true" much as he hated to admit it, Severus was right. If only those two remained, it did give them the option to raid both Manors simultaneously. Then it wouldn't matter if Voldemort knew what they'd taken, and they'd only have Voldemort himself to take out. And they would be out to kill. Voldemort would make sure of that, he would have no intentions of being captured, he would keep killing indiscriminately until someone ended his ability to do so. Death would be the only way, and he suspected that Severus would be the one to do it.

...

Severus lay on his bed in the darkness, wide awake. Yet again. It had been a strange week, a tiring week. A roller coaster of an emotional week. It had started fantastically as far as he was concerned. Lily's birthday had had him a nervous wreck until he'd finally proposed to her, after years of dreaming - at first believing his love to be one sided, to finally accepting that she felt same way. He loved her and she loved him. He'd asked her to be his wife and she had accepted. Her parents had given their blessings, his mother had given him an heirloom from her grandmother. He didn't think life could possibly get any better than it did that night.

Unfortunately, his elation had been short lived. The following day as their peers noticed that Lily now wore an engagement ring on her finger, that had prompted much discussion and gossip. And of course plenty of comments sent his way by some of the Slytherins. Letting him know how disgusting he was, proposing to a Muggleborn. _A Mudblood._ Severus utterly despised that word, almost as much as he despised the Slytherins that dared to use it. Every time one of them referred to _his_ Lily in such a manner, he saw red. Wanted to hex them. Wanted to punch them in their smug faces if he was completely honest - settling things in a more Muggle fashion would probably be more satisfying. But the last thing he needed was detention for fighting - though he probably wouldn't get in any _real_ trouble, all things considered. But he didn't want to draw even more attention his way, so he attempted to ignore their ridiculous jibes, try and rise above it, be the bigger man, concentrate on bigger problems.

Then the attacks had started, three families the first night - two Muggle families who happened to have a family member who was a witch or wizard, and a family of Muggles just to prove they had the power, they could kill whoever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Two nights later another family had been murdered. Another Muggleborn witch who had worked at the Ministry. No one knew when the next attack was coming. No one knew who the next target would be. The Ministry was starting to panic. And Severus was worried.

This future was different to the one the memories came from, they'd altered things with the actions they'd taken. They'd removed two Horcruxes in a different way, at a different time to what he'd witnessed. What if things had already changed enough to put the remaining Horcruxes out of his reach? What if he was making things worse? Severus groaned as his head started to throb again. Time should not be meddled with, even if it was unintentional. The ripples their actions created were too unpredictable, too uncertain.

He contemplated getting up and taking some kind of potion, either a pain reliever or Dreamless Sleep - he should have both in his room somewhere. He wished he had something that would put him to sleep, but he knew he didn't, and he didn't fancy visiting the Hospital Wing in the middle of the night. Madam Pomfrey would no doubt keep him there. No, he would make do for tonight and see what the morning brought his way.

Before he had a chance to search his supply of potions, a loud 'pop' startled him, had him bolting upright in his bed, grasping for his wand.

"Is Severus Snape still needing Dobby's help, Sir?" the little elf asked as he lit the lamps.

"Dobby?"

"Dobby has returned to help Severus Snape" the elf repeated, wringing his hands together, ears flattened against his head.

"I was worried you wouldn't be back" Severus told the house elf.

"So you is still needing Dobby's help?" he asked with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Yes Dobby, very much so. You are the only one who can help me with this" Severus said seriously. Dobby flapped his ears excitedly.

"Dobby can help, Sir!" he squealed, jumping up on to the bed in his excitement.

"Good. Very good. This is a really important job" Severus explained as Dobby nodded animatedly. Severus worried that the eager little elf just might shake his own head off.

"You wish to help me get rid of You-Know-Who?"

"Yes, yes! Severus Snape must remove the dark one! Dobby will help!" Dobby squealed.

"It could be dangerous though, if you get caught -"

"Dobby will be careful. Dobby can do it!" the elf interrupted, still nodding and flapping his ludicrous ears.

"Ok." Severus said, throwing the covers off, rising from the bed to fetch the duplicate Diary Dumbledore had transfigured for him. "I need you to listen very carefully to me, Dobby" Severus began. Dobby bounced and nodded. "I need you to find a book that looks like this one, it's hidden somewhere at Malfoy Manor"

"Dobby can find it, Sir!" Dobby assured him.

"Take a good look at it, Dobby. It's an old Diary, with nothing written on the pages" Severus told him, handing the book over so the elf could look at it more closely. "With this name on it" he added, pointing out the name of the Diary's owner - _Tom Marvolo Riddle._

"Dobby can find it!" the elf assured him again, "Dobby is good at finding things"

"It may be well hidden, or in a safe. It could be anywhere" Severus pointed out, "But it's really important that I get the _real_ version of the Diary"

"The Diary is containing information?" Dobby asked.

"Sort of" Severus answered, it wasn't _that_ far from the truth. "And you need to keep it an absolute secret, if anyone finds out you're looking for the Diary... well... it would be difficult to win the War against You-Know-Who" he explained.

"Dobby understands, Sir" he squeaked happily.

"When you find the real Diary, don't remove it straight away, come back and let me know you've found it, ok?" Severus said, waiting for Dobby to nod again. "Then I'll give you this one to put in its place"

"Yes, yes! Dobby understands! Dobby is not to touch, Dobby is to tell Severus Snape when he knows where Diary is being hidden" he exclaimed, flapping his ears again.

"Good, good" Severus agreed, sighing in relief.

"Anything else Dobby can be doing?" the elf asked hopefully.

"I'm not sure yet. I don't suppose you ever go to any of the other Death Eater's Manor houses, do you?"

"Dobby is not leaving Malfoy Manor, Sir. Master and Mistress likes to keep Dobby close" he said sadly.

"I'm sorry" Severus said, genuinely feeling sorry for the eager little house elf, he was even more trapped than he and Lily currently were.

"Severus Snape should not be sorry for Dobby, Sir" he told him sincerely. Severus nodded sadly.

"Does You-Know-Who visit Malfoy Manor regularly?"

"He visits with Master. Others visit him at my Master's Manor" Dobby told him.

"You were there when a Death Eater brought the Prophecy Keeper to the Manor?" Severus asked, curious whether Dobby knew the identity of the spy.

"Dobby was there, Sir" he told him, nodding.

"Do you know who it was? Did they say his name?"

"Dobby heard a name, Sir. He who must not be named said _Augustus"_ Dobby told him, Voldemort did like to be on first name terms with his chosen ones. He never knew how sinister the name _Severus_ could sound until he'd heard it uttered by the Dark Lord. Hearing his given name slip from what remained of the Dark Lord's lips in those memories had been somewhere between unnerving and disturbing. How _that_ Severus had managed to stare unflinchingly into those malicious red eyes was beyond him. _That_ Severus clearly had nerves of steel, and an unparalleled skill with Occlumency.

"And how did Malfoy refer to him?" Severus asked, though he too may have used his first name, he liked to appear _friendly_ with those he had need of.

"Master Malfoy called him _Rookwood"_ Dobby squealed.

"Augustus Rookwood" Severus affirmed, definitely something to bring up with the Headmaster, most likely the spy within the Ministry - probably not the only one, but it was a start at least. "Thank you, Dobby, this is most helpful" he assured the little elf.

"Dobby is pleased to be helping!"

"I know. I can't do this without help" Severus told him. "You should be heading back, I don't want you to get caught"

"Dobby will not be being caught. Dobby will be careful, and be finding the right book" he told him, a look of determination in his bulbous eyes.

"Good. I'll see you when you've found it" Severus said. Dobby nodded, placing the fake book back on the bed, hopping to the floor before disappearing with another 'pop'.

Severus sighed, returning the book back to its hiding place at the back of the desk drawer and retrieving a vial of Dreamless Sleep. The headache had eased somewhat with the discussion with Dobby, the wheel back in motion once again, the house elf was on a mission to search the Manor in secrecy, and had given him a name to take to Dumbledore. If one spy could be removed, perhaps under questioning it could lead to uncovering more, or lead them to more Death Eaters. Though Severus sincerely hoped they would have the remaining Horcruxes in their possession before anything else happened - if the questioning led Aurors to the Lestrange's, that could jeopardise their chances of obtaining the Cup. Hopefully Dumbledore would be able to intervene before that though.

Severus downed the potion before his headache could return, slipping back under the covers before extinguishing the lamps once again. He was eager to surrender to sleep, hoping to silence the thoughts of planning War moves. He was glad it wasn't up to him to make the big decisions, but it didn't stop him worrying about the consequences. Piece after piece was being moved on the grand chess board. Move and counter move. Which side would be the one to call 'check mate'? Within minutes, sleep had claimed him and kept him a peaceful slumber until morning.


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Severus quietly gave the password to the gargoyle, waiting patiently for it to move aside and reveal the familiar spiral staircase. He sighed as he stepped on, allowing the stairs to slowly transport him upwards. He was still exhausted, though the Dreamless Sleep definitely helped and enabled him to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, it did nothing to calm his thoughts while he was awake. There were just too many of them.

He knocked softly when he reached the door at the top, hoping the Headmaster wouldn't be too offended by an early visit - he suspected he would be fine with it once he knew why he was there. The Headmaster's voice called out cheerfully to 'enter' the office, and with a deep breath, Severus did exactly that.

"Ah, good morning, Severus" he greeted pleasantly, "How are you this fine day? Is everything all right?" he asked with a slight frown.

"Good morning, Sir. There are a couple of things we need to discuss" Severus stated, sliding into his usual seat.

"Very well" Dumbledore nodded, pouring them both some tea from the set already waiting on the Headmaster's desk. Severus nodded as he was handed a cup.

"Dobby returned" Severus told him, "He is still more than keen to help us, Sir. He is looking for the Diary"

"I see. And he is aware of the dangers?"

"He is. For now, I've told him to look for it only, not to remove it all, until he's checked in with me again. I still have the copy hidden in my room for when he returns" Severus explained, carefully sipping the hot tea.

"Excellent. I was beginning to wonder if you would hear from Dobby again, as I'm sure you were" the Headmaster said, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"I was worried the Malfoy's may have caught him, yes" Severus admitted. As the weeks had stretched on, it had been getting more difficult to imagine that he would return at all, easier to believe that he'd been discovered and _dealt with._

"It must have been a relief to see him unharmed and ready to assist" Dumbledore said with a small smile.

"Yes" Severus said quietly. It had been a relief, for Dobby's sake as well as his own, in spite of his excitable nature Severus had found the house elf strangely endearing in a weird sort of way. And he didn't want the little elf to get hurt because of him. "Anyway, I asked him about a few other things while he was here" Severus finally continued.

"Oh?"

"Well, we need a way of getting the Cup from the Lestrange's Manor, I asked if he ever went there"

"Does he?" Dumbledore asked, taking a sip from his own teacup.

"Unfortunately not" Severus sighed, shaking his head. "I think Dobby is quite young and relatively new to the Malfoy's. He said they like to keep him close, he isn't taken outside of the home yet"

"I would imagine they are still trying to _train_ him to their standards. I don't suppose they would want a boisterous house elf to be in the company of their colleagues" Dumbledore suggested.

"No, I believe they would prefer he was more... subdued" Severus said with a frown. _Broken,_ his mind suggested. They wanted the happy creature to have his spirit broken, he thought darkly.

"Indeed" Dumbledore said, meeting his eyes levelly. Severus could tell the same thoughts had flickered through the old man's mind.

"So unfortunately, no closer to getting the Cup" Severus shrugged.

"Well, if we come to a point where that is the only item left to retrieve, we shall raid the Manor, but hopefully a more... delicate plan will come to us before then" the Headmaster smiled. "Did you discover anything else?"

"Actually, I did" Severus smirked. "Dobby was there when the Ministry spy came to Voldemort. He said the man was called Augustus Rookwood"

"Rookwood? He was sure?" Dumbledore frowned.

"He said he was sure. Why?"

"He is not one that would arouse suspicion"

"Neither is Peter Pettigrew, but you know what the memories revealed there" Severus pointed out.

"True. Looks can be deceiving" Dumbledore agreed. "I believe I have some investigating to do, then"

"You don't want the Ministry to look into it?"

"I will get one of the Aurors involved with the Order to ask some questions. There is much going on at the Ministry, the attacks have them on edge. Scared" Dumbledore said. Everyone was scared.

"Understandable" Severus pointed out.

"It is. But it could cause them to do something rash. Cool heads must prevail. Fear makes people do irrational things, Severus" he explained. Severus nodded. A lot of emotions made people behave irrationally. Fear. Anger. _Love._

"I will be away from Hogwarts for most of the week, I believe" Dumbledore said as the silence stretched on. "I must visit with the Ministry, with Order members, Mr and Mrs Evans -"

"To put them into hiding?" Severus interrupted.

"To discuss that matter, yes" Dumbledore admitted. "I also need to find a certain cave by the sea"

"How are you going to do that, then?"Severus asked, was the old man going to attempt to make his way around the entire British coastline? Because that would definitely take him away from the school for more than a few days.

"I have a idea to narrow it down, but alas, I am in need of more information in order to be certain"

"Anything I can help you with?" Severus asked, setting down his now empty cup.

"Not just yet. Though, if do locate the cave I would appreciate your company" Dumbledore smiled at him.

"Of course, Sir" Severus readily agreed, pleased and surprised that he would be able to take that particular trip. He supposed he must have proven his abilities somewhat during the retrieval of the ring. He could be useful.

"Excellent. Though, if I fail to find the cave by the Easter holidays then we shall have another discussion with young Regulus Black" Dumbledore suggested.

"Kreacher?" Severus asked. Kreacher had been to the cave after all, perhaps he could get them safely in.

"Indeed. Regulus is unable to call his personal house elf inside Hogwarts, perhaps he can send him to us when he returns home for the holidays. Though of course, we may not need him to do so, we may find it ourselves before then"

"Mmm. Easter is only about six weeks away" Severus said, frowning. Time was passing quickly by.

"So that gives me a little over a month to investigate, before we need to flesh out an alternative plan then" the Headmaster smiled, seemingly pleased. Severus scowled, it wasn't enough time. "Anything else to discuss?" Dumbledore enquired.

"I don't think so, Sir" Severus shrugged. There wasn't any other information to pass along, no other names to investigate. And Dumbledore would already know what questions to ask. What to avoid. He was already aware of what they needed to do, he wouldn't jeopardise their own task. Wouldn't do anything to alert Voldemort that they had figured out his secret. They couldn't do anything that might prompt him to move his remaining Horcruxes to an even more inaccessible location.

"Excellent. I shall see you when I return. I do believe Professor Ainscott will be setting up a training session at the weekend for yourself and your fiancée" Dumbledore said with a smile and amused twinkle in his blue eyes. Severus could feel the heat of a blush creeping over his cheeks. None of the teachers had openly asked either of them about Lily's ring. Their engagement. "The two of you are competent when it comes to casting a Patronus, I'm told" he said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, Sir" Severus nodded quickly.

"Good, he'll be showing you something else that can be done with a Patronus. I believe it should come in most useful" the Headmaster explained. Severus stood, nodding at his instruction. "Severus," Dumbledore called to him as he reached the door, "Congratulations. I am very happy, for both of you" he told him sincerely.

"Thank you, Sir" he answered, offering a small, but genuine smile in return. Relieved that there was _someone_ that showed any sign of being pleased for him. Not something he'd been used to in his life. Severus gave a final nod, before quickly leaving the office, school robes billowing behind him as he trotted down the stairs for breakfast.

...

"Albus, are you sure they meant Rookwood?" Alastor Moody asked him. Albus sighed.

"Yes, Alastor. That was the name he was given" he told him.

"And you trust this source?" Alastor frowned.

"I trust him. And he has no reason not to trust his source" Albus explained.

"We can't just go arresting people without anything to back it up"

"I am aware of that, but we need to investigate somehow" Albus pointed out. How else would they get any answers? Alastor sighed. "I'm not asking you to arrest him, Alastor, not until you have the evidence you need to do so. But I do think we need to have a discussion with him"

"Auror's are allowed to follow anonymous tips, Albus, I just think we'll be wasting time"

"This is War, Alastor. Lord Voldemort is moving against the Ministry - picking off the Muggleborns here one by one. Someone is feeding information to him - names, addresses, backgrounds - potentially more than one person. We know someone has access to the Hall of Prophecy - the Prophecy Keeper was found and taken to Voldemort. Augustus Rookwood has a wide social circle, does he not?" Albus posed.

"He's well liked by his colleagues" Alastor agreed.

"What better way to gather information?" Albus pointed out. Alastor sighed, beginning to relent. "I don't want just _anyone_ questioning Rookwood though, Alastor. If the situation is as I suspect, others may ask him the wrong questions" he said with a raised eyebrow.

"You don't want them to do something stupid?"

"I don't. You are aware of far more than the majority of your colleagues. There are certain tasks that must be completed is we are to win the War against Voldemort. If the wrong questions were asked, it could jeopardise that"

"Is this about the Prophecy?" Alastor asked in a whisper, even though the privacy spells cast around the small room would ensure no one overheard something they shouldn't.

"In part. The Prophecy only confirmed something about our enemy that I already suspected" he told him. Alastor nodded.

"They're still after Snape?"

"Indeed they are. I believe the attacks are an outlet for his frustration, at his inability to reach Severus"

"He really thinks the boy has the power to defeat him?"

"He is afraid that he does, he wants to remove Severus himself to prove that the Prophecy is wrong. But he fears it" Albus told him. Albus hadn't shared the contents of the Prophecy with the entire Order - only Minerva and Horace had seen his memory of it. The Order members were only aware that a Prophecy had been made, predicting that the One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord was among them. They had been told that Voldemort had chosen to assume that Severus Snape was the enemy the prophecy referred to, but he hadn't told them why. He hadn't told any of them - besides Minerva and Horace - about the memories Severus had been receiving for almost two years, showing him glimpses of another life, another version of Severus that had walked a dark and dangerous path in Voldemort's shadow. And he definitely had told no one of the Horcruxes Voldemort had made, and how Severus' memories of them from the future made it absolutely certain that he _was_ the One in the Prophecy. He didn't tell them about the _tasks_ involved in tracking down and destroying the Horcruxes. For now, only he and Severus could know all of it.

"So what information do you want about Rookwood, then?" Alastor asked him.

"Well, for a start, whether or not he is a spy, if he's marked or not - though Voldemort may have chosen not to gift him that particular _honour_ to keep him here with less chance of discovery. If he has names of other spies working here" Albus explained. That was the main point, they needed to know how many spies were working here, and who they were. "And whether he was responsible for locating the Prophecy Keeper" he had led to her murder if it had been him, and something he had to answer for.

"Fair enough. And what _don't_ you want information about?" Alastor asked. Albus smiled, relieved that his friend and colleague understood - if Rookwood was questioned as a Death Eater, he would be asked for names. If he gave the Malfoy's and Lestrange's (no doubt he would give Lucius Malfoy if Dobby was correct), that would lead to follow up investigations - potentially Auror's raiding their Manors and risking their chances of retrieving the Horcruxes without alerting Voldemort.

"I don't need to know names of other Death Eaters - only the ones acting as spies at the Ministry" he told him with a raised eyebrow. Obviously they could question him about other names at a later date if it became necessary.

"Right, I'll take him to one of the interview rooms then" Alastor nodded.

"Without Crouch noticing?" Albus asked, he really didn't need Crouch getting wind of this, who knew what kind of knee-jerk response it would provoke.

"He's not due in until this afternoon, fortunately for you" Alastor smirked at him.

"Ah, very fortunate indeed" Albus sighed.

"Room 12 should be the most suitable I think, and you know I can't let you in the room, Albus" Alastor told him seriously "And I need another Auror present"

"I have no doubt you can handle this, Alastor. I trust you completely" he told him sincerely. Alastor nodded.

"You are welcome to view the interview, Albus" he confirmed, at least he would hear any information as they revealed it.

"Thank you, Alastor" Albus said. Alastor nodded, heading out the room to locate Augustus Rookwood, and one of his colleagues to accompany him for the interview. Although they were hoping to keep this little 'chat' as secret as possible, they still had certain protocols to follow in the meantime.

Albus made his way swiftly to the viewing room attached to Interview Room 12, an excellent choice for the discussion. It was the room furthest away from the cubicles used by the Aurors, and least likely to be the subject of any interference - no one had to pass by the room to access any part of the Ministry. Indeed, other staff may not even be aware of their presence at all.

Fifteen minutes later, Alastor Moody ushered Augustus Rookwood into the Interview room, gesturing for him to sit at the lone table in the centre. Alastor seated himself opposite Rookwood, with Edgar Bones - another member of the Order - the final person to enter the room, locking the door and casting privacy spells that would hide them from their colleagues - Albus was now the only person able to witness from the viewing room. Albus cast a spell of his own to ensure none could join him here.

"Now then, Augustus, apologies for disturbing you this morning, but some information has been passed to us and I'm sure you understand we have to follow it up" Alastor explained carefully. Rookwood didn't seem the slightest bit worried, instead he looked quite at ease, relaxed back in his chair, meeting Alastor's eyes steadily.

"Not a problem, Moody. How can I help you?" he asked almost curiously.

"We have become aware that Voldemort has a spy active in the Department of Mysteries -"

"And you think I can help you track him down?" he interrupted.

"In a manner of speaking" Alastor said softly. "Before we go any further, I must inform you that this discussion is being recorded" he said, gesturing towards the crystal sphere set upon the desk. "Do you have any objections?"

"None at all. Please, proceed" Rookwood said politely. Albus frowned, the man gave every indication that he was nothing other than a loyal Ministry man, at ease with helping the Auror's with their investigation. Looks could be deceiving, and he hoped that Severus had been correctly informed.

"Very well. You work in the Department of Mysteries, is that correct?" Alastor asked.

"It is" he answered, taking a sip of the drink in front of him.

"As an Unspeakable, you have access to all the rooms in the Department of Mysteries?"

"I do indeed"

"Including the Hall of Prophecy?"

"Yes" Rookwood nodded, still looking relaxed.

"Are you aware of the identity of the current Prophecy Keeper?"

"No, that information is strictly guarded" he answered, a slight frown creasing his forehead.

"Have you been aware of the identity of any previous Prophecy Keeper's?" Alastor asked him.

"Possibly" he shrugged. Of course it was _possible._ Alastor sighed, leaning his elbow on the table.

"Are you a Death Eater, Augustus?" Alastor asked. Rookwood's eyes flicked down towards his arm for a split second before meeting Alastor's gaze again.

"You _are_ joking, aren't you?" Rookwood attempted to laugh off the question.

"I'm afraid not. It has been suggested that you may be acting on orders given to you by the wizard who wishes to be known as Lord Voldemort" Alastor said evenly. Rookwood laughed, taking another mouthful of his drink.

"Ridiculous" Rookwood muttered, shaking his head.

"Would you mind rolling up your left sleeve?" Alastor asked.

"You're serious, aren't you?" Rookwood frowned, looking affronted.

"I am. Roll up your sleeve please" Alastor instructed.

"And if I refuse?" he asked cautiously.

"If you're not marked as a Death Eater then you have nothing to worry about, Augustus. If you refuse then I'm afraid we'll have to move you to a holding cell"

"You would throw me in a cell for not showing you my arm?" he spat at them.

"This is a time of War, and it has been suggested that you are a Death Eater - we need to confirm or disprove that accusation"

"So this is just on someone's say so?" he said, folding his arms. This interview was clearly going downhill, he either had a Mark he wished to keep hidden, or he was doing his best to be an uncooperative nuisance.

"It is a very serious accusation, and not one we can take lightly - especially given your position in the Ministry and the information you have access to" Alastor stated, "Please roll up your left sleeve, Mr Rookwood" he asked again. Rookwood attempted to jump from his seat, no doubt reaching for the wand the two Auror's had relieved him of before entering the room. In the blink of an eye Alastor had him bound to the chair, restrained to prevent him attempting to cause an injury or to flee the room, Edgar stood at the door, his own wand ready.

"Is there really any need for this?" Alastor asked, "You're trying awfully hard to avoid showing us your arm" he added pointedly. Rookwood didn't answer, merely glared at Alastor across the table, the easy demeanour now vanished.

Alastor walked around to stand beside Rookwood, pushing the robes up until he exposed his left arm. And a Dark Mark.

"Let it be recorded that Augustus Rookwood does indeed bear the Dark Mark on his left forearm" Alastor said, "And that would be why you didn't want to show us" he added. "You will be taken to a holding cell, carrying the Dark Mark carries a penalty of automatic imprisonment, you will be held here until a trial to ascertain the extent of the crimes you have committed - namely supplying Lord Voldemort with information about Ministry members, and for taking an employee to him - an employee that hasn't been since"

Rookwood glared at him again, his lips twisting into a smirk. Yes, the outward appearance had definitely been deceptive in this case. Well, nothing more to do now except keep him in holding until a trial could be arranged. They couldn't ask any more questions until then, and Crouch would have to be informed at some point, there wasn't a choice in that. For once, Albus hoped that the trial wasn't going to happen in the immediate days, or even weeks, but they had no idea how long it would take - Crouch may decide to speed things up to make an example of him. The clock was potentially ticking, he and Severus needed to find those Horcruxes. And soon. He had hoped it could mostly wait until the summer, once Severus had completed his education, his NEWT's. But time may not be that kind to them.

"There are more of us, you know" Rookwood grinned "Do you honestly think I'm the only one _He_ has here?"

"Not for a second" Alastor admitted. At least that was something else confirmed.

"I don't even know who the others are, and you? You don't know who you can trust, who you can't. All constantly looking over your shoulders, wondering who are the ones finding out _everything._ Wondering who will be next"

"Constant vigilance never did anyone any harm" Alastor said, his voice low. Albus could have sworn Edgar tried to suppress a snort. Everyone was aware of Alastor Moody's thought on vigilance. "Let's get him to a holding cell" Alastor said, glancing up at Edgar before swapping the restraints for handcuffs, pocketing the recording sphere, lifting Rookwood to his feet and escorting him from the room.

Ten minutes later and Alastor was in the viewing room with Albus.

"So it would seem your source was correct" Alastor stated.

"Indeed he was" Albus agreed.

"And there are more of them"

"As I suspected. It would not be especially prudent to have only one spy. I have never personally liked the idea of placing all the eggs in one basket" he said with a raised eyebrow.

"That's one way of putting it" Alastor snorted, "You know I'm not going to be able to keep this away from Crouch"

"I know, nor would I expect you to. I have all the information I needed from him, in any case"

"Good. I have no idea when his trial will be, he'll be going to Azkaban whatever the outcome of that, the Mark is enough to put him there" Alastor told him. Albus nodded. "Now, I'm afraid I have a whole heap of paperwork to sort out after that" Alastor sighed.

"Then I shan't keep you" Albus smiled, "I have other matters to attend to myself. Do tell Barty I stopped by won't you, and to expect me later in the week" he said.

"Can do. See you in a few days" Alastor said, before leaving Albus alone in the small room.

A moment later, Albus made his way out and away from the Ministry, off to attend to his other investigations. Investigations that just might lead him to a certain cave with a hidden locket. And to do that, he needed information. Information that just might be found at a certain orphanage that was once the home to a young Tom Riddle.

...

"Settle down everyone, if you please" Professor Ainscott instructed. The chatter had been much louder than usual today - February 14th. Valentine's Day. And everyone seemed much too eager to find who had sent Valentine's to who. It was all very dull, even for Lily. It had been an effort to make it into the classroom, dodging the heart shaped papers, charmed to flutter like birds wings to reach their intended recipients with secret proclamations of love. Or not so secret in the majority of cases.

Lily rolled her eyes at the display others were making, she was definitely getting more like Severus in that respect. She and Severus had behaved just as they had always done - holding hands and fleeting kisses in public. _Not_ groping each other, as many others around them seemed to be doing.

"Thank you" the Professor said as everyone finally made their way to their seats, the rowdy shouts giving way to whispers, before eventually silence descended. "Now, I've had a fair few questions about spell creating and thought we'd have a little discussion on that this morning" he began, glancing around at the sea of students. Lily chanced a quick peek as he spoke, Severus was frowning, obviously not liking where this _discussion_ could go, not when he'd created spells of his own. And she knew _he_ hadn't been asking about that topic. That left the Marauders - who were just looking alert and ready for the session. And the Slytherins. Who were smirking. They'd obviously asked then, most likely as a way of causing trouble for Severus. _Arseholes._

"Spell creation is an incredibly difficult area of magic, perhaps the most difficult. So very few witches and wizards go on to create their own spells, so unfortunately there are no specific training courses to apply for - although, as an Unspeakable there is much more scope for experimentation, so if it's something you're interested in pursuing, that would be the route to take. Very few have the _knack_ for it though, it seems to be more of an instinct than something that can be taught" he explained. All around, students were nodding, eyes fixed on the Professor.

"Have you ever created your own spells, Sir?" Potter asked curiously.

"No, Mr Potter" he answered, shaking his head "It's not something I've really ever felt the need to do" he shrugged.

"You're happy with the spells we have?" Black asked him.

"In a manner of speaking. I always enjoy learning new spells and techniques, but I'm happy to leave it to others to work out the kinks first" he smiled. More students nodded. That was how she felt. Learning something new was exciting, but knowing that others had perfected the spell first eliminated the risk. Severus wasn't like that, and it wasn't that he liked the danger associated with creating spells, he liked seeing how the magic worked. How to put a spell together. He could _feel_ it. And he was brilliant. No wonder he was destined to take on Voldemort. Maybe he could work on a spell to do that? She glanced at Severus again, he was still frowning, his hands balled into fists on the desk, his knuckles turning white with the pressure. She fought the urge to reach for him, that wasn't something that was appropriate in a Defence class, even though she longed to.

"Is anyone here thinking of attempting to create spells in the future?" Professor Ainscott asked. A few raised their hands - Potter, Black, Avery, a couple of others. She noticed Severus kept his hands down on the desk. "A few of you. Interesting. So, has anyone here already attempted to create their own spells?" he asked. Nobody raised their hand. Severus didn't raise his hand. The professor glanced around, before letting his attention remain on Severus. It looked as though he was about to speak when his attention was drawn elsewhere.

"Yes, Mr Avery?"

"Well, Sir, Snape's been creating his own spells. Dark ones at that, too" he said. Lily scowled at him, wanting to get rid of the smug expression on his face. Severus remained staring at a spot on the desk, fists still clenched.

"Is that so?" Ainscott enquired, not sounding entirely convinced.

"Yes, Sir. He taught it to a few of us in Slytherin, before the Headmaster _removed_ him from our dorms" he drawled. The class was torn between gasps and titters.

"And _that_ would be a lie" Severus ground out quietly, not changing his posture, still staring. Probably trying to stop himself doing anything stupid in retaliation. Lily rested a hand on his arm.

"Would you care to elaborate, Mr Snape?" Ainscott asked.

"No, Sir" he answered quietly.

"I will" Avery grinned "Nasty curse it was too, a cutting curse, really hard to heal, leaves awful scars it does. He taught it to us, Sir"

"I never taught any of you idiots a damned thing!" Severus snapped, whipping his head around towards the other boy, glaring.

"Mr Snape?" Ainscott asked. Severus sighed, looking up at the Professor.

"Fine. I've come up with a few spells in the last few years, the majority of them harmless" he said hurriedly.

"Professor Dumbledore mentioned that you'd created a privacy spell"

"Yes and I'm not sharing it with the class" he stated.

"Nor would I expect you to. So, this _curse?_ " he asked.

"Yes, it's nasty. And I'd rather not talk about it, and I don't plan on using it. The only reason _they_ found out about it was by searching through my things!" he snapped.

"No, Sir, he's dangerous, coming up with these things" Avery goaded.

"No, I've never used it against another person - I've healed the effects though"

"You can heal it too?" Ainscott asked.

"I'm not so stupid as to create a curse, without creating a counter for it!" he said defensively.

"I still think he's dangerous!" Pettigrew piped up. Lily frowned in disbelief at the boy, as did Potter and Black.

"Then you're even more stupid than you look!" Lily snapped, "Severus isn't any more dangerous than I am!"

"You would say that, given your _relationship"_ Avery sneered.

"Sod off, Avery" she spat back.

"That's enough, Miss Evans, Mr Avery" Professor Ainscott warned. Lily ducked her head down, trying to hide her blush, embarrassed at shouting out like that, but someone had to stand up for Severus. "I think we should leave that discussion where it is for today" he sighed.

"But, Sir, are we safe, if Snape's coming up with these Curses?" Pettigrew asked. Just what was his problem? Severus sighed.

"When are you going to understand, I'm not creating Curses! I've created a couple of jinxes and a hex, and the privacy charm. That's it!" he snapped. "Nothing dangerous"

"Would you care to demonstrate any of them?" Professor Ainscott asked curiously, suddenly eager to learn something new.

"I think Potter and Black should demonstrate the first one. They're familiar with one using one of my jinxes" he pointed out. How could she forget that particular day, Potter and Black launching a joint attack, hoisting him into the air by his ankle when he didn't even have a wand in his hand. And he'd seen a far worse version in those memories he'd received - he'd seen a version where that event had pushed the two of them apart with one word spoken in the heat of the moment. _Mudblood._ But that wasn't _her_ Sev, she didn't even think the _other_ Sev would have meant it, not really. Potter and Black looked down guiltily.

"Look, we're sorry about that" Potter mumbled. Severus only snorted in response.

"Would you care to show us?" Ainscott asked.

"Alright" Potter said nervously, getting up to stand in front of the class, "Come on then, Sirius" he shrugged.

"Are you sure you don't want to do this, Snape?" Black asked.

"Just how petty do you think I am?" Severus asked, looking faintly amused. Black shrugged, aiming his wand at Potter, a flash of light and he was dangling by his ankle. A minute later and Black had set him back down again.

"And you taught them that, Mr Snape?" Ainscott asked.

"No. I believe they read it in my book while I was writing notes and they decided to try it out" Severus explained, his voice calmer now, most of his anger seemed to have dissipated.

"I see. Any others you can show us?"

"Depends if you want to leave the room alive" Avery snickered. In a split second, Severus had aimed his wand at the boy. Avery jumped to his feet in protest, scowling and stamping his feet at his sudden inability to talk. Severus demonstrating his Langlock jinx rather nicely. Lily couldn't help but be reminded of a similar reaction when he used that jinx on Potter and Black in Diagon Alley.

"And he says he's not dangerous!" Pettigrew squeaked.

"It's not dangerous, don't get your knickers in a twist. This one sticks someone's tongue to the roof of their mouth. Rather useful at silencing inane prattle" Severus smirked. Lily managed to stop herself from giggling, though a few titters rippled around the room.

"That one does seem rather useful" Professor Ainscott agreed, looking rather amused. "Though, if you could release him, please" he asked. Severus nodded, aiming his wand back at Avery again.

"Sit down, Mr Avery" Ainscott told him in a firmer tone. Avery complied but was rather pink in the face and looking more than a little murderous.

"So, you seem to have the knack for creating spells then, Mr Snape" their teacher said. Severus shrugged, not committing himself to an answer.

The rest of the class passed by quickly, more discussions about spell creation, chatting about what kind of spells they would create if they could. Severus didn't join in, his heart or his mind not in the mood for discussing such things while surrounded by others. There was a faraway look in his eye, a distraction. Whether he was thinking about spells he may create in the future, or spells created in the past, she wasn't sure.

Before they knew it, the session was over and the class dismissed. Professor Ainscott came and stood in front of their desk.

"Just a moment of your time please" he said to the two of them. Lily nodded, making no move to stand. The professor waited until everyone else had left.

"Right" he nodded, smiling pleasantly, "I understand the Headmaster told you to expect a session with me" he began.

"Yes Sir, he did" Severus answered.

"Excellent, I was thinking Saturday morning if that's all right with you two" he suggested.

"Me as well?" Lily asked nervously.

"The Headmaster feels this is something that you both could benefit from"

"No, no, that's fine" Lily replied, she didn't know why she felt surprised at being included, she seemed to be involved in most of Severus' _extracurricular_ sessions sooner or later.

"Saturday is fine, Sir" Severus told him.

"Excellent, I'll see you both then" he smiled, before turning away heading towards his office.

Lily took a deep breath as Severus reached for her hand, leading her from the classroom and off towards the library, to their usual study table. Severus sighed as he sank into one of the chairs.

"Are you all right, Sev?" she asked worriedly, keeping her voice low.

"Mmm. Typical though, bunch of idiots" he grumbled.

"You know they're just trying to cause trouble for you" she told him.

"I know" he whispered, "And Dumbledore already knows about the spells I've made" he said, rubbing his forehead.

"They're just trying to get under your skin" she said gently. They couldn't touch him here at Hogwarts, all they could do was try and make him miserable, or provoke him into a fight. "Look at me, Sev" she whispered, reaching to touch his cheek, turning him towards her, "What is it?"

"I'm just tired" he said quietly. She nodded slowly. She knew that, he was tired of waiting for the next move. Tired of planning. Thinking.

"You'll get there, love" she said, giving him a small smile. He nodded the smallest amount possible. "We should get on with revision" she said, reluctantly moving her hand away from him, reaching for her book bag. It would do neither of them any good to keep going over the same things.

"Lily?" he whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Happy Valentine's Day" he said. She glanced up to see him holding a rose made out of parchment.

"I thought we agreed 'no presents'" she smiled as she took the rose from him. He shrugged as he smiled back, dismissing what she'd said. "Thank you, it's beautiful"

"There's something written on each petal" he told her softly.

"Oh?"

"Something I love about you, or a memory of us" he explained. She could feel herself tearing up at the gesture.

"Sev" she whispered, "You are such a hopeless romantic"

"It's not hopeless, love" he pointed out. No, perhaps not.

"Well, it makes my gift look a _lot_ more boring" she told him, reaching for her bag again.

"I thought we agreed, 'no presents'" he teased. She raised an eyebrow as she passed him the gift.

"Thank you" he smiled.

"Invisible ink. I know how much you love writing on your text books, I thought this might make it more difficult for others to 'sneak a peek'" she told him, "And chocolate kisses" she said as she passed him a second gift.

"Ah, my second favourite kind of kisses" he smiled at her.

"Second, eh?"

"Mmm" he nodded, closing the gap between them, capturing her lips in a sweet and tender kiss. Until a very loud throat clearing from Madam Pince interrupted them.

"Sorry Madam Pince" Lily apologised, blushing as they sprang apart. The eagle eyed librarian gave them a particularly pointed look before heading back to her own desk.

"Busted" Severus chuckled quietly.

"Yep. So, revision?"


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

The four Marauders sat around one of the larger tables in the Gryffindor common room, keeping themselves busy with their NEWT work. Well, three of them were working anyway. Remus kept glancing up at Peter as he shifted around almost continuously in his seat. It was making it very difficult to concentrate on his book. Peter sighed as he stopped fidgeting on the chair, instead switching to drumming his fingers on the table. That seemed to be the final straw for the other boys. James and Sirius let out frustrated groans at almost the same moment Remus began to talk.

"What is it, Peter?" Remus asked, failing to keep the annoyance he felt _completely_ out of his voice.

"What?" Peter snapped back, biting his nails.

"You haven't even opened your books yet. What's going on?" he asked him again.

"Like you lot care!" Peter moaned, frowning heavily.

"Look, whatever it is, you can tell us" Remus said, a little more gently.

"Well, it's _Snivellus_ , isn't it" Peter whispered angrily. Remus groaned, dropping his head onto the table with a 'thud', wanting to bang it a few times for good measure. He was sick of going round and around in discussions about Snape, he'd been sick of it when it was Sirius and James, and he was even more sick of it now. Now they knew better. James and Sirius groaned too.

"See! I told you, you wouldn't care!" Peter protested.

"It's not that we don't care, mate, it's just that Snape isn't doing anything wrong" James pointed out, surprising Remus entirely.

"That's what he wants you to think!" Peter said, glaring at each of his friends.

"What makes you say that?" Remus asked, "He hasn't done anything! He spends his time alone or with Lily, he hasn't attacked anyone -"

"Yet!" Peter interrupted. Remus sighed.

"He won't" Remus said confidently.

"No, no, listen. He's up to something, I know he is" Peter told them.

"Fine. What makes you think that, then?" Remus asked, humouring him for the moment.

"Well for a start there's those spells of his" he pointed out.

"We know about those, we have done for a couple of years - like Snape said, we pinched one of them!" Sirius said.

"Well that one's not dark" Peter shrugged. _Hypocrite._

"Neither is the one he used on Avery, he's used that on us before. It's annoying but that's about it" James said. Peter sighed again.

"What about that privacy spell?" Peter asked.

"What about it? Can you blame him for wanting some privacy? Someone or other has been following him since we started Hogwarts" Remus pointed out. No wonder Snape had got more secretive as time went on. He hadn't had a choice.

"Well, there's that cutting spell" Peter said. _Ah._

"I'll give you that one" Remus said, "It _is_ dark, but I've never heard of him actually using it, only his lovely former dorm mates. I've only heard of Snape _healing_ victims of that curse" he pointed out. Peter scowled, folding his arms across his chest.

"What is the point in this anyway, Wormy?" Sirius asked.

"The _point"_ he snapped, "Is who knows what other dark spells he's created that we don't know about yet. Or what he will come up with"

"I think whatever he does come up with will be used to fight against You-Know-Who" Remus told him.

"You don't know that for sure though" Peter snapped stubbornly.

"We do, mate. He's not going to do anything that would put Lily in danger" James pointed out.

"Exactly" Remus agreed "I mean, they _are_ engaged now, he's not going to risk anything happening to her, is he?"

"I still say she's an idiot for trusting him" Peter said.

"She knows him better than anyone" James said.

"I can't believe you approve of this, Prongs. I thought you cared about her, you could have saved her from him!" Peter said, his voice starting to rise. Sirius let out a bark of laughter.

"Are you mad, Wormy!" Sirius laughed.

"Saved her? She's not a damsel in distress" Remus chuckled.

"Yes, I liked her, I'm not going to deny that" James agreed, "But she doesn't need saving from Snape" he added.

"So, you're just going to abandon her, then?"

"What _are_ you talking about?" James asked frustratedly.

"You cared about her for years, now you just drop her? He gives her a cheap glass ring now you don't give a damn?" Peter scowled.

"Have you been drinking? Taken a bludger to the head or something?" Sirius asked.

"Mate, she was never _mine_ to drop. She's a friend, that's it. I was never in love with her, I thought I was at the time, but... well... I've learned since then" he added.

"He's found Jessica since then" Sirius said, wiggling his eyebrows as he gave James a playful nudge with his elbow.

"Yeah, that too" he said sheepishly.

"Why do you care so much about Snape, anyway?" Remus asked.

"He can't be trusted" Peter said simply.

"We're going round in circles, here. Can we just get back to homework? You're not going to convince us that he can't be trusted, we're not going to convince you that he can" Remus said as he turned his attention back to the book he'd abandoned.

"He's been meeting up with Regulus Black" Peter said quietly.

"What? How would you know that?" Remus asked with a frown. Peter didn't answer, merely returned to biting his nails. "Peter? Have you taken the map out of my trunk?"

"Well, you lot never tell me anything!" Peter snapped, slamming his fist down on the table.

"Of course we do" Remus protested. They told him bits and pieces, nothing about Snape, or their suspicions of his role in the war.

"No you don't!" he argued, jumping up from the table, "Yes, I took the map, I needed to find out _something,_ and I know for a fact that Snivellus is up to no good, plotting something with Regulus Black!" he almost shouted.

"Maybe he's trying to help him get away" Sirius shrugged.

"Like anything good is going to come out of _that_ family!" Peter grumbled.

"Hey!" Sirius snapped, a furious expression darkening his features. Peter cowered slightly at his tone.

"You're the first one to point out how dark your family is, don't get offended when someone agrees!" Peter snapped back. Sirius continued glaring.

"Well, maybe it took Regulus longer to see that. Maybe he's trying to get away from the Death Eaters. Snape managed to do it, maybe he's helping Regulus do the same" Sirius argued. Remus really hoped that was the case.

"You lot are hopeless! Can't see a bloody Death Eater when it's right under your nose!" Peter shouted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" James asked quietly.

"Nothing. Nothing I say ever means anything to you lot" he complained "Your brother is a bloody Death Eater, and _Snape_ keeps meeting with him. _I_ think he's trying to play both sides - especially with Dumbledore missing" Peter pointed out.

"He's probably investigating things at the Ministry, he's not just Headmaster is he? I'm sure the Minister wants his advice after all the attacks" Remus said.

"So you're not going to listen to _anything_ I say then?" Peter asked, frowning at them all still.

"We're listening, Peter, it just doesn't change what we already think" Remus said quietly. Peter nodded.

"Fine" he said as he grabbed his bag, rummaging through the contents, "Fine, if that's how you think, you can take your bloody map" he said as he slammed it down on the desk, "And your _friendship,_ and shove it" he growled, snatching his book from the table and storming out of the common room.

"That was fun" James said with false cheeriness.

"Mmm, great fun" Sirius added with a snort.

"What are we going to do about Peter though?" Remus asked worriedly. His behaviour was getting more unpredictable as the days went on.

"Anyone else think he was talking about himself?" James asked them.

"Which bit?" Sirius asked.

"That we wouldn't recognise a Death Eater even if it was under our nose?" Remus suggested.

"Yeah, that bit" James nodded worriedly.

"We need to tell Snape, then" Sirius said quietly.

"I _think_ Snape already knows, he's kept on warning us not to tell Peter anything" Remus pointed out.

"He knows Pete's going to become a Death Eater?" James asked.

"Maybe. Maybe not. We have to trust Snape, don't we? Voldemort still wants him dead, his followers inside Hogwarts are trying to make life annoying for him in the mean time. His followers want to discredit Snape, try and make sure people don't trust him" Remus said, "Divide and conquer"

"Including Peter?" Sirius asked, a confused expression on his face.

"I think we have to consider that possibility" Remus agreed. Slowly, the other two boys nodded, turning their attention back to their homework.

It was certainly harder to concentrate after Peter's outburst, it seemed as though he'd taken a drastic step. Peter had distanced himself from the Marauders, not happy that he couldn't sway their opinions, and not happy that they refused to talk about Snape and what information they knew about him. It was becoming more and more obvious that Peter Pettigrew had chosen the opposite side in this war, and there had been nothing the Marauders could do to alter that. Time had changed their opinions more than a single person could have done.

As far as Remus was could tell now, the quiet Slytherin boy who had once given every impression that he would one day serve the Dark Lord, was potentially going to be the man who saved the wizarding world from the darkness. And the quiet Gryffindor boy who had once seemed so eager to please his friends, was slowly becoming immersed in the darkness as the end of their school days approached, like a shadow was there waiting to envelop him. First impressions now counted for nothing, and neither it seemed, did which Hogwarts House they were a member of.

...

Severus paced the cleared space at the front of the Defence classroom as they waited for Professor Ainscott to join them. Lily had seated herself at one of the desks at the front, staring at a single point on the table, not looking at him. She was nervous. The extra sessions were making the war feel closer than ever. Preparing the troops. Lily was not meant to be a soldier, she could defend herself more than adequately, and was more than willing to stand up for him. But this? This was different. Death Eaters wouldn't be hurling tripping jinxes and stinging hexes at them. They would want to hurt them. Kill them. Unless they struck first. If he was honest, he was nervous too. He could lock that feeling away better than she could, but fear was definitely present in their lives and would be until the War was over. Whenever that would be.

After a few more minutes of pacing in silence, the door opened to reveal Professor Ainscott, sweeping into the room in casual robes in his favoured navy blue. He gave them a nod as he locked and warded the door to avoid unnecessary interruptions.

"Good morning, Mr Snape, Miss Evans" he greeted as joined Severus at the front of the classroom.

"Good morning, Sir" they replied, almost in unison.

"Now, the Headmaster has asked me to start preparing you in a few areas" he began.

"A few, Sir?" Lily asked nervously.

"Yes, Miss Evans. We'll only be making a start on one thing today, though" he told them. Lily nodded, "And I get the feeling that the two of you know a great deal more about the War than I do - which is fine, by the way. We all have our roles to play and I'm quite happy to follow orders. I don't need to know all the details" he assured them. Severus nodded.

"How much do you know, Sir?" Severus asked. He didn't want to accidentally slip up with something he shouldn't.

"In all honesty, I don't think I know much at all" he confessed, "The Headmaster informed me that a Prophecy was made - you are aware of that fact?"

"We are. We were present when it was made" Severus confirmed.

"And that You-Know-Who is aware of the Prophecy's contents"

"He is" Severus agreed.

"That he has chosen you as his enemy"

"He has"

"And wants to remove the threat he believes you present to him" Ainscott said. Severus raised an eyebrow. "Dumbledore doesn't seem surprised that he chose you as his target. And I don't think you're that surprised either" he confessed.

"Not especially" Severus sighed. "There are reasons for that, that cannot be discussed at this time"

"I understand the need for secrecy. The more people that are aware of the details, the more chance there is of someone finding out"

"Exactly. So, you're a member of Dumbledore's Order?" Severus asked.

"I am. I must admit I'm surprised that the two of you are already aware of the Order of the Phoenix. I don't think any others knew of its existence while still at Hogwarts"

"No. I've been kept in the loop because of the _unique_ circumstances around me. Lily too, because of our relationship" he added quietly. Once again he was reminded of the fact that if she wasn't so close to him, she wouldn't be in so much danger. Lily squeezed his hand gently, he hadn't even noticed that she'd stood and joined them.

"Obviously we haven't been to any meetings or anything" Lily said softly.

"No, I think I would have noticed" Ainscott said with a smile. "What about when school is finished? Will you go then?"

"I assume so" Severus answered, "I guess that's something we'll need to discuss with Dumbledore when we come to it, see what is going on with the War" a lot could change in six months. Well, a little over four months now. The War could be over by then. Or it could have escalated. For all they knew they could all be dead before they'd sat their NEWT's. Professor Ainscott nodded.

"I also understand that you've had regular sessions with Dumbledore"

"Mmm" Severus nodded, "That was kind of what made Voldemort suspect me when the Prophecy was made. They thought it _suspicious_ for the Headmaster to spend so much time with a student. They thought it must be for a reason" he shrugged, which was pretty damned close to the truth. Lily squeezed his fingers again.

"I see. And what was the real reason?" Ainscott asked curiously.

"Partly guidance - I was getting a lot of negative attention from certain other students. I was having a rough time and started getting closer to some of those in Slytherin that were headed down a dark path, and I wanted out"

"You were planning on being a Death Eater and changed your mind?" he frowned.

"It's not that simple, Sir. I didn't _want_ to be a Death Eater. I'd been getting closer to students that _did_ want that, and I distanced myself from them. That set me up as a target to that group of students - which is why the Headmaster moved me to my own room. My room mates had attacked me - one was expelled for using the Cruciatus one me, they used my cutting spell on me, they used it on Lily and put her in the Hospital Wing, another student Imperiused her. There have been times that have been awful, just one battle after another. But I've done a lot of talking with the Headmaster, Lily and I both have. As well as some training"

"Oh? What did you practice with him?"

"Occlumency. He taught me first, then I started training Lily last summer"

"Because of the Prophecy?" he asked.

"For me it started as a way of helping me clear my mind so I could sleep properly. When we found out Voldemort knew a Prophecy had been made, I started teaching Lily so one of his followers couldn't take it from her mind" Severus explained.

"And it went well?"

"It did. It seemed to come fairly easily to both of us really"

"I think Severus found it easier than I did. I tend to panic more" Lily said.

"You're better than you think, Lily" he told her. She seemed to almost _enjoy_ letting him into her mind, liked it when she could feel him touching her thoughts. Actually, he rather liked it too, especially now she had better control of what he saw, which memories she showed him. But when it came to working with Dumbledore, apart from a little trial and error at _pushing_ the Headmaster out, she'd adapted quickly at bringing forwards alternative memories, showing a questioning Legilimens a false answer to the question they had asked. And she could do it convincingly, she'd shown him. He was still improving in that area, though he was better at keeping someone out completely.

"Excellent" the Professor smiled. "Anything else?"

"Nothing I can openly talk about" Severus stated.

"Well, today I'm going to be showing you something else we can do with the Patronus charm - I know you're both able to produce a corporeal Patronus, which is a necessity for what we're going to do" Ainscott began.

"What are we going to do?" Lily asked, an edge of excitement creeping into her voice now she had an idea what they would do.

"Order members use their Patronus as a form of communication, it's almost instantaneous, so much faster and safer than using an owl" he explained.

"So, ideal if the troops need to be assembled in a hurry, then" Severus said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yes. Death Eaters don't tend to tell us in advance when they're planning on causing trouble for everyone" he said sadly. They was putting it mildly. _Trouble._ Hell was a more accurate description for what they were doing.

"So how do we do it then, Sir?" Lily asked curiously, obviously keen to move on from the depressing topic of Death Eater attacks.

"When you summon your Patronus, it is essentially operating under your guidance. It will await your instruction - to find a particular person. You can give your message to the Patronus verbally, or _will_ your message into them. I'm sure with you both working with the mind magics you won't face any difficulties" he assured them. Severus and Lily both nodded. "Right then, I'll go to one side of the room, you two, the other. Let's work on this" he suggested.

A minute later the two of them stood together, watching Professor Ainscott, waiting for him to send a Patronus to them. A bright silvery fox approached, standing in front of them as it spoke with Ainscott's voice.

"What are your career plans once you leave Hogwarts?" it asked them. Ah. Small talk. Severus hated small talk. Well, not much to do but join in. Severus summoned his doe, willing his answer to it before sending it over to the professor. He could hear his voice from across the room, giving his answer.

"I intend to pursue potions research" the doe said. The professor nodded over to them. Now Lily's turn to attempt. Severus watched her close her eyes, composing herself as she too, summoned a graceful silver doe, concentrating as she sent it over.

"I have applied for a place on the Healer training programme" Lily's voice spoke softly from the Patronus. Another silvery fox made its way over to them, another message from their Professor.

"What are your favourite subjects?" the fox asked with Ainscott's voice. Severus rolled his eyes, before he once again summoned his doe, sending the answer back to the teacher.

"Potions first, Defence second" Severus' voice told him. Lily repeated the process, sharing her answer with her own doe and sending it over.

"Charms first, Potions second" Lily's voice came from the doe.

"I bet you're hating this" Lily whispered softly to him.

"What? This is useful to know" he answered. Lily rolled her eyes at him.

"Small talk" she teased with a grin.

"If he asks my favourite colour can I bang my head against the wall?" he asked sarcastically.

"No" she laughed quietly.

"Not even a little bit" he pleaded.

"No" she laughed again, shaking her head at him. The Professor's Patronus snuck up on them while they bantered.

"What is your favourite colour?" Ainscott's voice asked from the fox. Severus groaned in annoyance, while Lily laughed. The Professor just looked confused from what he could see of their reaction to his innocent question. If his questioning followed this new theme though, it was going to be a very long morning indeed.

...

"So what do you want to work on today?" Lily asked as they sat down at their preferred brewing station.

"Some healing salves. We've made plenty of pain relievers but it can't hurt to have some topical salves too" Severus answered.

"Who knows what we'll need" she added sadly. They had no idea exactly what they would be facing when it came to it, "Maybe we should be putting together field kits, that each person can carry on them" she suggested.

"Field kits?" he frowned.

"You know, first aid. It's one thing having treatment points, but what if you can't get to one straight away? Or if you come across someone who's injured" she said. There wouldn't always be time to get them to St Mungo's, or to a healer somewhere else.

"Probably not a bad idea, small kits with pain relievers, blood replenisher, salves - "

"Strength potion, anything that could buy a few minutes to get proper treatment. Everyone could carry a set shrunk down in their pocket for when they needed it" she told him.

"Hmm" he muttered thoughtfully.

"What do you think?" she asked him.

"I think it's a great idea, we should talk to Dumbledore when he gets back, see what he says" he told her with a smile. Lily nodded.

"He's still not back then?" she asked, even though she knew the answer - it was Sunday morning and Severus wasn't in the Headmaster's office, so he obviously wasn't back yet.

"No, not yet. I thought he would have been back by the weekend" he admitted.

"He's looking for the cave you mentioned?" she asked.

"I guess so. He wants to find it as soon as possible, and preferably without bringing Regulus' house elf into it, but if we have to, we have to" he shrugged. They needed all the help they could get, as long as they were sure they could trust whoever was helping them.

"And you're going with him once he's found the cave?" she asked, again, she already knew what his answer would be.

"I think I have to" he told her simply. She wanted to argue that it didn't have to be him, any Order member could accompany Dumbledore on such a dangerous mission, wanted to tell him to let someone else share in the burden. Let an adult go. But she didn't say that. Looking in his eyes she knew it was something he just _had_ to do. He would complete his task. He would succeed.

"I know" she finally answered "It won't stop me worrying about you, though. I just hate the thought of you fighting through who knows what in a dirty, damp cave, treacherous old boat trip, nightmare potion, Inferi. And I'll be here. Helpless. Waiting and hoping you come back safely" she said quietly. She hated the helplessness.

"I know" he said, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close, placing a kiss on the top of her head as she leaned against his chest. An awkward position from their seats. She pulled herself away with a sniffle, not wanting to dwell on the trials the future would bring, better to focus on the task they were completing now.

Without a word, the two began their usual routine, Severus setting up the cauldrons and instructions, Lily fetching the ingredients they would need for today's brewing.

"I wonder if Dumbledore has spoken to my parents" Lily said quietly as she set the ingredients down on the table.

"Haven't you heard from them?" he frowned.

"Not this week" she said, biting her lip nervously "I get the feeling they won't want to hide" she added.

"Just wait and see what Dumbledore says when he comes back. Or send them a letter later" he said.

"Maybe. I'll think about it" she told. Severus nodded as they continued their work.

"Did you see any powdered citrine in the store cupboard?" he suddenly asked.

"I don't think so. Why?"

"I'm just wondering if it would help in a topical salve, for nerves" he told her.

"It might. It certainly won't hurt to try it, it shouldn't make any of the other ingredients less effective, should it?" she asked.

"No. I think I might make some with it in and see what happens" he said. Lily nodded, heading back to the cupboard for a second look, rummaging through badly labelled pots and bottles.

"No powdered citrine, but there are some stones if you want some grinding"

"Just a little, if you don't mind" he said as he set to measuring various herbs. Lily nodded, grabbing a fresh pestle and mortar, ready to turn some of the pretty sunshine coloured stone into a powder for his salve. "Here," she said, handing him the stone dish. Severus accepted it with a nod, adding a pinch to one of the cauldrons he'd set up.

Soon, both the cauldrons were bubbling away, and all they could do was wait for the appropriate amount of time before decanting it into containers to cool and thicken. Severus reached for her hand as they sat back down in their seats for the wait.

"Are you all right, Sev?" she asked him.

"Mmm" he frowned.

"Are you sure?"

"Yesterday went better than I expected" he admitted.

"Oh? What did you expect to happen?"

"I don't know. After Defence the other day I half expected a lecture on the dangers, or a demand to know my spells" he shrugged.

"Why would he lecture you? You haven't done anything wrong" she told him. Which he hadn't. Creating spells wasn't a crime. Admittedly the cutting one was dangerous given how difficult it was to heal the wounds it created.

"I know. I guess I'm still not used to having people on my side" he admitted sadly.

"Well, get used to it" she smiled.

"I'll try" he replied. Well, that was all he could do really.

"Have you thought of any other spells? Any ideas?" she asked.

"Sometimes I start thinking about what I could do, but no, nothing specific. My mind is often occupied with other things" he told her. Horcruxes. Voldemort. War.

"Maybe you should start thinking of something new" she said, "Something you can use in a fight against Death Eaters. Or against You-Know-Who"

"It would have to be something Dark to take him out, Lily. I don't think I want to start heading down that road"

"It wouldn't make _you_ Dark, Sev!" she told him.

"It isn't that simple, Lily"

"Nothing is simple anymore" she pointed out. Severus sighed.

"No, it isn't. When we first got on that train at 11, I never thought our NEWT years would be like this" he admitted.

"Neither did I. But they are, and we can't change that. We're just going to have to do what we've got to do"

"That we do" he agreed, turning the heat down under the cauldrons to let them simmer.

"So maybe you can come up with something new that will give you an advantage" she told him, squeezing his fingers.

A few minutes later, Severus extinguished the low flames before shifting his chair closer to hers, allowing him to slip his arm around her much more easily. She felt herself relaxing as his fingers trailed up and down her arm.

"Did you hear about what happened in Gryffindor tower the other day?" she suddenly asked. She felt him shaking his head where he was resting against hers. "Remus told me, Pettigrew threw a major tantrum. He seems to have left the Marauders" she frowned.

"Left? How come? Not that I care, but... it is... odd"

"Very odd. He was complaining about people trusting you - he says you've been meeting with Regulus Black so you must be 'up to something' while Dumbledore is out of the Castle" she said rolling her eyes.

"How would he know?"

"He nicked the map out of Remus' trunk. They have it back now though" she assured him.

"Well that's bloody brilliant" he muttered.

"I know. They think he's planning something, or meeting with Death Eaters -"

"Like Regulus" he interrupted. She nodded.

"What concerned them was a comment he made - that they wouldn't recognise a Death Eater if it was under their nose" she said, pulling away to look up at his face.

"Trying to imply that I'm one, or taunting them that they haven't sussed that he's one yet" he said with raised eyebrows.

"Oh believe me, they're more inclined to believe the second of those two" she told him. She never thought she'd see the day that James Potter and Sirius Black were picking Severus' side against _anyone._ Let alone a fellow Marauder.

"Hopefully they'll keep an eye on the little rat. I can't _be_ everywhere. _Do_ everything" he grumbled.

"Don't worry, they'll watch him" she assured him, slipping her arm around his waist. Severus kissed her forehead again, drawing her back to him.

"Have you thought anymore about when you want to get married?" he asked quietly, the change in topic catching her off guard for a moment.

"I still think we should do it this summer. I can't think of a reason not to" she told him. She felt him nodding.

"If you're sure that's what you want" he whispered.

"I want to get married to you" she told him, "A small ceremony, I don't care about a big reception. I don't need that. I just need you" she said. His arm tightened around her.

"As long as we have enough time to arrange it once school is finished. Your parents can't book anything for us if it's a wizarding ceremony" he pointed out.

"That's true" she agreed. "We'll figure it out. Oh, and I'll need a dress so I can look nice for you" she added.

"You always look perfect to me" he whispered. She snuggled closer against him, feeling her smile brightening.

"What does a witch wear to get married? Traditionally, I mean"

"I don't really know. You'd have to ask my Mum. She had a Muggle wedding so I've only seen a picture of that" he said. "But she was raised as a Pureblood, so she'd know"

"Hopefully we'll get to see her again soon, then. Maybe Dumbledore will let her floo in over the holidays"

"I hope so" he finally said. It would be interesting to see how she'd grown over the weeks they'd been apart, see how her confidence had improved while living in a magical household again. Finally free, not just physically, but mentally now too. Giving Severus some hope that things could improve for them without his father tearing everything down and keeping his family in the gutter. They would both fight their way out, and they would no doubt, make a difference in the world for the better. Lily was certain of it.

 **A/N - Hello all, I think that's the longest I've been between updates since I started writing this almost 7 months ago! My husband and I went away for the weekend for the first time ever (leaving the kiddies with Granny) and headed off to the Harry Potter Studio Tour, which is absolutely amazing, if you get chance to go, go. Back to reality now though, back to writing again after a couple of days off! See you all soon :)**


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Severus had barely closed his eyes when they were jarred open suddenly by a brilliant white light hovering beside his bed. He squeezed his eyes shut against the brightness in an otherwise dark room.

"Severus" he heard Dumbledore's voice say softly. Cautiously, he peeked an eye open, realising the blinding spot of light was, in fact, a silver Phoenix. A Patronus carrying a message from the Headmaster. "I have now returned to Hogwarts, please join me in my office" Dumbledore's voice whispered. Severus sighed as the Patronus dissipated into the darkness. Not much choice but to join the Headmaster, clearly it was important. Perhaps he'd found the cave. That possibility spurred him on as he rose from the bed, grabbing his wand, twirling it gracefully to send a message back. He sent the doe on ahead, letting Dumbledore know he was on his way, and dashed out the door, off through the corridors towards the Headmaster's office.

Severus passed no one on the walk through the castle, it was after curfew now and the only ones out of their dorms should be whichever prefects were on patrol this evening. And of course, himself. And most likely a Marauder or two lurking about somewhere.

Within minutes, Severus was giving the password to the gargoyle and making his way up the spiral staircase.

"Enter" Dumbledore's voice called as he raised his hand to knock. "Good evening, Severus" he greeted warmly.

"Good evening, Sir" he replied, slipping into his customary chair.

"Apologies for the late hour of this meeting -"

"It's fine, Sir" Severus interrupted "I wasn't sleeping and it's only... 11.30" he added as he glanced at his watch. It felt much later than that, but he supposed that was down to his broken sleep.

"Very well" the Headmaster nodded.

"Did you get some answers, Sir?" Severus asked.

"I did indeed. A few, at least" he smiled, "Some things took a little longer than anticipated, hence the late return" he told him. Severus nodded, he'd expected him to be gone for five or six days. Not ten.

"So where do we begin?" Severus asked.

"Well," Dumbledore sighed "I assume you read about Rookwood in the Prophet?" he enquired.

"I did. Thank Merlin he was marked"

"I quite agree, it made the process much simpler from our point of view - the Mark proved our point for us" he said. Rookwood had been arrested and was being held for having Voldemort's Mark, he hadn't even tried to claim he was Imperiused either which simplified things. He could be held as a Death Eater until his trial, however far away that may be. The Daily Prophet had been quite eager to report on the fact that anonymous tip had led to one of You-Know-Who's Death Eater's, working at the Ministry as a spy, had been apprehended. It had also been quick to step-up the scaremongering, pointing out that Death Eaters could be anywhere. Anyone. Trust no one.

"So we know Dobby is correct in his information, which is reassuring" Severus said. Dumbledore nodded in agreement.

"Reassuring indeed. Now, there is still much going on at the Ministry, and much I suspect will change, but doesn't really warrant a discussion as yet"

"I'm sure most of it tedious" Severus grimaced, earning a soft chuckle from the Headmaster. "So what about Lily's parents?" he asked. He had to know, for his sake as much as Lily's. They'd treated him like a son, made him a part of their family. He needed to make sure they were safe. He couldn't bear it if he was the reason, the cause of danger in their lives. Dumbledore sighed.

"They are... reluctant, to leave their home. They do not realise the position they are in"

"Because of me" Severus almost whispered.

"Not entirely, Severus. You take far too much upon yourself. They are in danger because Lily is a witch. You know the families of Muggleborns are being targeted - that is not your doing" he explained gently. Severus groaned, rubbing his face with his hands. Perhaps Dumbledore was right. Lily had said from the beginning she would be targeted because of her blood. He hadn't wanted to believe that, kept pushing that thought aside, he believed Lily was different. Maybe he did place too much blame at his own feet, the guilt over the things he'd seen his memory-self do was overwhelming at times. He felt he needed punishing for his wrong doings - even if they hadn't yet happened, or _would_ ever happen. It was almost as if that darkness had touched his soul in some way. At this point in time, in this life, he hadn't done anything that warranted punishment. So he punished himself. He carried the guilt, the weight of those decisions. Those memories.

"So they won't go into hiding then?" he finally asked, looking back at the Headmaster, finding the blue eyes gazing upon him filled with sadness. And understanding.

"At this point in time? No. I have warded the house as much as I can, I will have Auror's drop by the area when they are patrolling. We will monitor the situation as best we can for the time being" he explained. Severus nodded. "However, I have arranged somewhere, should they change their minds. A cottage I happen to own" he said.

"All right" Severus nodded.

"It's in a lovely little village, a mixed Muggle and Wizard area as it happens. I believe it would make an excellent location for yourself and Lily for the summer" Dumbledore told him. Severus drew in a deep breath.

"Thank you, Sir" he whispered.

"It would be lovely to believe the War will be over by the time your school days are over -"

"But it won't be. Hopefully it won't go on for quite as long as I've seen, but it won't be over _that_ soon" he said sadly.

"No" Dumbledore agreed. They had no idea exactly how long this was going to last. How long it would take them to finish retrieving and destroying the Horcruxes.

"So" Severus began with a sigh "Any luck with the cave?" he asked.

"Actually, that is what has kept me away so long" he answered with a smile.

"Oh?" Severus asked, a spark of hope flaring inside.

"The ladies at the Orphanage Tom grew up in were most helpful when I asked about holiday destinations in previous years" he told him with twinkling eyes.

"Holiday destinations?" Severus frowned.

"Indeed. Hearing about a cave I was reminded of something I was told when he was a boy. I don't think we need to go into it at this moment, but it gave me an idea for a starting point. A hunch"

"An educated guess?" Severus posed, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, my guesses have been known to be rather good" he smiled "This one has been no different"

"You found the cave?" Severus asked.

"I believe so"

"When do we go?" Severus asked hurriedly. Dumbledore held up a hand.

"Patience is still necessary. The Easter holidays will soon be upon us, we will visit the cave then" the Headmaster told him. Severus nodded, a little over three weeks.

"With any luck, Dobby will have returned by then with information on the Diary. That will only leave the Cup" he said quietly.

"Precisely" Dumbledore agreed. They could do this, they knew where these pieces were and they _were_ going to finish this. Finish the Dark Lord. Though he couldn't help but dwell on the dangers that were still lurking within Hogwarts.

"Sir, some things have happened while you've been gone, with the Marauders" Severus said quietly.

"Oh? I thought things were relatively calm between you now"

"Not _me,_ Sir" he protested "Pettigrew. He's removed himself from their little group - because he can't persuade them that I'm the enemy. He's trying to stir up feelings of animosity - making comments in class that I'm dangerous and can't be trusted"

"Hmm"

"He's been trying to convince Potter and Black that I've been working with Death Eaters while you were away from the Castle"

"Taking advantage of my absence?" Dumbledore suggested.

"Of course he didn't succeed in convincing them, so told them they didn't even recognise a Death Eater when it's under their nose, and stormed off. He's barely looked at them since"

"He was pointing the finger at you?"

"I'm sure that was his intention, but they think he was admitting his own loyalty"

"You think he's a Death Eater, Severus?" he asked

"Look, in the memories he became one, and he's certainly acting peculiar"

"In the memories _you_ became one"

"I am aware of that, Sir" Severus said quietly. He had to live with those memories. Taking the Mark. The Prophecy. Lily, a crumpled heap on the floor, blank dead eyes fixed on nothing. He wished he could burn those images from his brain. The vision of himself rocking her lifeless body still haunted his sleep. "Regulus says Pettigrew has been meeting with him, attempting to gather information about me"

"He is not marked yet?" Dumbledore asked.

"I don't believe so" Severus said as he shook his head.

"I will keep watching him, but so far he has done nothing that would warrant any punishment - even marked I would not have him removed from the school unless he was a threat to the safety of others - same as Regulus Black" he explained. He'd figured that would be the case. Pettigrew hadn't harmed anyone, only annoyed people. Tried to cause distrust among allies. That wasn't a crime. But at least they had a better idea of what lurked beneath that jittery surface. A coward. A sneak. A Death Eater.

"Fine" Severus finally agreed. What else could he do?

"So, how does he believe you're dangerous, Severus?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"My spells. I'm sure you'll hear about it from Professor Ainscott. Some in the class asked for more information on following a career involving spell creation. So naturally Avery brought up my past creations"

"I see"

"You know the majority of them are harmless, there's just that one -"

"You don't need to convince me, Severus. I am aware of your talents. I believe some of your spells to be most useful indeed. There is the matter of your cutting spell"

"I know, I know. It's straying into Dark Magic, which is why I never used it myself"

"I know. I believe when it comes to combat you will have to use it. Death Eaters will be looking to serious harm, if not kill you. I'm sure Mr Mulciber has taught your creation to a number of Voldemort's soldiers"

"No doubt about that" Severus muttered.

"You need every advantage, you won't be able to hold back like here at school" he told him.

"Lily thinks I should work on some new spells" he finally said.

"You certainly have the knack for it. It's not a bad suggestion, to test out a few ideas - if you have any, that is"

"Oh, I have an idea or two, I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to test that it works. If the first time I try it is in a fight against a Death Eater and it doesn't work, then I could be at a distinct disadvantage" he pointed out.

"That would be a problem" Dumbledore agreed.

"I'll think about it anyway" he said. "Lily had an idea as well, I think she was quite keen on it"

"Oh?"

"When we were brewing at the weekend, she suggested putting together some emergency potion kits, to carry on us - well for everyone to carry. It could buy extra time in a fight"

"Certainly. Some of the Aurors tend to carry a few potions on their person, but not everyone is so adept at brewing. I think if yourself and Lily can build up a stock of basic healing potions we can certainly put some kits together to hand out come summertime, or when the War reaches that stage" Dumbledore told him. Severus nodded.

"Now, I think we've covered all the necessities for the time being, and it is after midnight, so I would suggest you at least attempt to get some sleep"

"Yes, Sir" Severus agreed, rising from his seat.

"You look like you need a good night's sleep" the Headmaster told him plainly "Are you all right?" he asked. Severus shrugged.

"Just nightmares sometimes"

"Memories?"

"Not new ones. I see some of the memories sent to me, they're just like nightmares from the past. From _my_ memories" he told him.

"Your death?" he asked quietly.

"Hers" he answered, feeling tears starting to prickle the corners of his eyes, stubbornly trying to force them away. Dumbledore nodded sadly.

"Go, get some rest" he told him. Severus gave him a final nod before fleeing from the Headmaster's office, eager to get back to his own private sanctuary. Wishing he could find Lily, just for a moment after thinking about that awful memory, wanting to hold her in his arms, warm and breathing and alive.

But he couldn't. He would return to his room and lie on a bed, in the dark, tossing and turning until breakfast when he _could_ seek her out and reassure himself of the truth that she was here with him. So real, and alive, with light in her eyes and love in her heart that was beating for him. As his own heart surely beat for her. His love. His light. His Lily.

...

For once, Lily left the Gryffindor tower fairly early, a good nights sleep had had her rising from her bed earlier than usual, awake and refreshed and eager to find Severus. She ran gracefully down the stairs, feeling happy and light, feeling even happier when she spotted Severus climbing the stairs towards her.

"Sev!" she greeted brightly, wrapping her arms around his neck, leaning in towards his kiss, sighing as his hands tenderly stroked her back. "Good morning" she whispered as she drew back.

"Good morning" he replied, a tired smile on his lips.

"Are you all right?" she asked, frowning as she reached a hand up to stroke his cheek.

"Mmm" he nodded, "I've got a lot to tell you" he said quietly as he reached for her hand, threading their fingers carefully together and continued on down the stair case.

"Oh? Is something wrong?" she asked nervously.

"Yes and no" he answered, like that was going to reassure her. "Come on, let's get down to breakfast, I'll tell you everything" he told her. Lily nodded and allowed him to lead her onwards, into the Great Hall to the Gryffindor table. Severus sat beside her, his arm around her, keeping her close. He cast a _Muffliato_ before he began talking again.

"Dumbledore got back last night"

"Oh? You've spoken to him?" she asked, looking up at his face.

"He called me to his office last night" he nodded.

"I guess you had a late night then? No wonder you look tired" she said softly, stroking his cheek again.

"That's part of it, yes" he admitted.

"So what did he have to say?" she asked.

"Well, he's spoken with your parents. He says for the moment they don't want to leave their home" he said quietly.

"But, they'll be targeted!" she said, staring up at him with wide eyes.

"I know, I know. Dumbledore has placed their home under magical protections, and it's on the patrol route for the Order - the Auror's" he explained. Lily exhaled heavily, frowning, not liking what she was told. "He's also prepared a cottage - one that he owns himself - in a mixed Muggle and wizarding community should they change their minds. He also wants us to move there, when school is finished, maybe they'll join us if they haven't gone into hiding before then" he said gently.

"He's made plans for us?" she asked.

"Our homes aren't safe, Lily. He knows that. He wants to be prepared, keep us safe until we're ready to take the fight to You-Know-Who" he said. Lily sighed. It made perfect sense. On the one hand, it was nice that preparations were already made for them to go into hiding once school was over. On the other hand, having all the plans made for her made her feel even more helpless than she already felt.

They sat in silence for a few minutes then, his fingers continuing their gentle trails up and down her arm, her head resting against him, thinking. It wasn't long before more students made their way through the open doors, along with the first few owls fluttering in, searching for their intended recipients. Lily watched as a large brown owl carried a newspaper towards James Potter, frowning as he almost spat his mouthful of juice at the page he first read.

"Something's happened" she whispered.

"Hmm?" he mumbled, his eyes had been closed as his head rested against hers.

"Look" she said, gesturing towards Potter, Black and Lupin gathered around the paper, eyes wide, faces pale as they read.

"Whatever it is, it's not good" he said as he too surveyed the scene. Remus looked up, catching Lily's eye.

"You two need to see this" Remus said, snatching the paper from Potter and tossing it towards her. Severus removed his privacy spell as they read.

"Another Death Eater attack, the family of a Muggleborn witch, four people dead. No one taken into custody" Lily read. There were new attacks every couple of days. How long until she was reading about her own parents?

"The Ministry are adopting a tougher approach - after the increase in attacks they've changed their regulations relating to Death Eaters" Severus said as he scanned the report "The Unforgivables have been legalised for use against Death Eaters"

"Kill instead of capture?" she asked.

"Yep. It's now too high a risk to have any Death Eaters free - it is acceptable to use an Unforgivable against them in defence of your own life, or another's" he sighed. "Also, Death Eaters are no longer being held at the Ministry until their trial, they're being taken straight to Azkaban. Anyone found to have the Mark will be taken straight to Azkaban without trial. Rookwood was moved in the early hours of this morning"

"That's... well, it's terrifying"

"The hope is by increasing the risk and type of punishment, it will discourage those who are on the fence in the War from outright joining Voldemort"

"I need to write to my parents" she whispered. Severus nodded, reaching for her hand.

"Come on, let's go now" he told her. Lily stood, grabbing the small bag she'd brought with her.

"Thanks, Remus" she said, handing the paper back to him. Remus didn't answer, only gave a sad nod.

They made their way to the Owlery at a brisk pace, she needed to contact them, needed them to know just how dangerous it was for them to stay where they were. Fortunately, no one else was up in the Owlery this morning, so Lily settled herself on the floor, taking some ink and parchment out of her bag, composing a letter to her parents. She pretty much begged them to reconsider, told them Dumbledore had a cottage ready and waiting that was well hidden, that herself and Severus would be moving there at the end of June, hoping that would be enough to convince them.

Severus whistled for Apollo, and settled himself on the floor beside her, feeding the pretty little owl a few treats from his pocket. Lily glanced over her letter one more time before attaching it to Apollo's leg. Severus stroked the friendly birds head, instructing him to take the letter to Mr and Mrs Evans. Apollo gave a happy little hoot, ruffling his feathers before taking off into the early morning sky.

"I hope they listen, Sev" she whispered.

"I do too" he replied, reaching for her hand again.

"So what else did Dumbledore have to say?" she asked him, he'd said there were good and bad things. The fact that her parents didn't want to hide was clearly a 'bad thing'. Severus cast another privacy spell before continuing.

"He thinks he's found the cave" he said.

"The one Regulus told you about? With the locket?"

"Yes. That's why he was gone so long"

"And he has a plan?" she asked nervously.

"We're going to attempt to retrieve the locket during the Easter holidays. With so few students remaining here then, our little excursion will hopefully not be noticed"

"Depends which students are staying. If it's ones that pay attention to you it might be more noticeable" she said. Severus frowned.

"Maybe. Perhaps I should ask Regulus if he knows if any Slytherins are staying behind. I don't need to tell him why"

"Otherwise, you're probably safest going at a weekend, we're often away from view then - either brewing, or in the library, or doing our homework in your room"

"Mmm. But if you're out and about and I'm not, don't you think that will look suspicious?"

"I'm sure I can keep myself occupied out of the way if necessary" she told him "Anyway, check with Regulus first, if the Death Eaters are all going home then it makes it a bit easier, doesn't it?" she said. "At least you have a plan, though" she added, trying to think more positively about this news.

"We do. Then just two more to go" he nodded. She attempted to give him a smile, but she knew she wasn't very convincing. More than anything, she felt worried. Worried about her parents, about Severus going to a dangerous cave to retrieve this Locket. Worried about Severus in general, he looked so tired.

"You need some rest, Sev" she said quietly. He tried to shrug her off "You look exhausted, love" she told him.

"I am" he finally admitted, staring resolutely at the floor.

"Well, just today to get through and then it's the weekend. Maybe you should take a break from brewing tomorrow and get some rest" she suggested gently, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. He opened his mouth, looking like he wanted to protest, before sighing and nodding his head.

"Perhaps you're right" he said quietly "But..." he trailed off.

"But what, Sev?" she prompted.

"Will you stay in the room with me? While I sleep?" he asked, an uncertainty in his eyes when he lifted them to her face.

"Of course I will, if you want me to" she answered. He nodded slowly.

"I miss you. Being in a room, alone, it's hard sometimes, and the nightmares -" he said, suddenly looking so much younger than eighteen.

"You don't have to explain, Sev. I miss you too. And I am going to be your wife soon. I will be by your side, whenever you need me" she said quietly. "I am here for you" she added, squeezing his fingers gently.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you, Lily?" he whispered, tears forming in the corners of his eyes, reaching a hand up to her face, his thumb softly brushing against her cheek.

"Of course I do" she answered confidently "Because I love you" she stated, before pulling him close to her, her lips meeting his in a tender kiss, wanting to show him, reassure him of exactly how much she loved this man. Her Severus.

...

Peter Pettigrew waited until all he could hear coming from the other boys in the dorm was snoring. He didn't know what time it was, only that it was late. He slowly peeled back the covers, glancing around to check the rustling woke none of his friends. Well, former friends he supposed was more accurate now, they'd barely looked at him in the last week. He'd hoped to keep close to them for a while longer, but like everyone, he had a choice to make. Which side?

Peter was determined he would be on the winning side in this war, and without a doubt Voldemort would be victorious. If Dumbledore was a threat to him, surely he would have removed him by now, like he'd removed Grindelwald. But he hadn't. And for whatever reason, both Dumbledore and Voldemort believed it was Snivellus Snape that was the real threat, which was ridiculous. The greasy git had always been a dirty sneak, creeping about the place. He behaved no different now than he had for the first five years, so it didn't make any sense whatsoever when the sentiments towards him changed. Dumbledore took a personal interest in him, Padfoot and Prongs suddenly agreed to ignore him, You-Know-Who considered him to be his number one target. _Why?_ He'd still gotten no answers to any of it.

Sighing, he crept towards the dormitory door, pulling it open cautiously, wincing as the hinges creaked. He paused, looking back at the other boys, all still sleeping soundly, James still snoring into his pillow. Satisfied he wasn't going to get caught leaving, he slipped out the room, closing the door softly behind him, tip toeing down the stairs to the common room. The next part of his plan would be much easier if he'd still had access to the map, even for a moment to check the coast was clear. At least he wouldn't have to worry about getting caught once he was out of the common room, and he didn't need James' cloak to keep himself hidden.

Peter hurried himself over to the portrait hole, pushing the Fat Lady's portrait open the slightest amount he dared. He wouldn't need much space to wriggle out. With that in mind, he took a deep breath, concentrated as best he could, slipping into his Animagus form. A small brown rat.

Peter twitched his nose, his whiskers, sniffing the air carefully as he slipped out the small gap. The Fat Lady was still asleep in her painting, that made his escape even simpler. He kept himself to the edges of the corridors and stairs as he hurried along in the shadows. True, anyone that saw him would simply see a rat - not that surprising in an old castle, but if Filch's bloody cat was lurking, she too would believe him to a rat and therefore something good for chasing.

It didn't take him long to reach his intended destination, although small in this form, he could run and scurry about with ease. He still hoped he could complete his plan in this form, switching back to his usual self was simply not an option. He suspected some kinds of alarm would be set off if he was there in human form.

Professor McGonagall's office was easy to find for anyone in Gryffindor, and as Deputy Headmistress for the school, she was the one with the records he needed access to. He squeaked in relief as he was able to make his way through gaps in the wall, no doubt made by genuine rats and mice escaping one cat or another over the years. He'd half expected the wards to stop his progress, but his guess had been correct, thankfully - it would only stop _humans_ from being somewhere they shouldn't be. Not rats. Or people assuming the shape of a rat.

The office was in darkness, but thankfully his senses were good enough for him to find his way to what he needed - a cabinet, full of pull out drawers. All present students details, a drawer for each year group, all in alphabetical order. It was just too simple.

Peter dug his tiny claws into the gap of the bottom drawer, gradually managing to ease it slightly open. Once he'd freed it a little, a shove from his legs was able to slide it out, there was very little resistance, and hadn't even been locked! Some things were going even better than he'd anticipated. He propped a wooden ruler against the now open drawer, making himself a ramp to climb inside. He scurried along the ridges, the records suspended below in separate sleeves, until he finally came to the record he was interested in towards the back of the drawer - Severus Snape.

Peter stared at the address written in the corner of the first sheet, committing it to memory, he couldn't remove the file and take it with him - he couldn't lift it as a rat, and couldn't change into his usual self to do it, and if he took the folder with him it would definitely be noticed. No, he would have to use his memory, and desperately hope he wrote it down correctly once he returned to Gryffindor tower.

Satisfied, he crept back out of the drawer, removing the make shift ramp, shoving the drawer closed as best he could with his limited strength, and hurried out of McGonagall's office quickly in the same manner he'd entered. Within minutes, he was slipping back into the Gryffindor common room, the Fat Lady's portrait still cracked open a sliver, the guardian still snoozing, oblivious to his activities. Once inside, he shifted back to his usual self, pulling the portrait closed the rest of the way.

Peter glanced around the common room, unsurprisingly, still empty, everyone else sleeping in their beds as was expected for the middle of the night. He made his way over to the book shelf, removing a particularly large book on the top shelf, revealing the ink and quill he'd hidden there a few days ago. He settled himself down at one of the tables, beneath one of the few wall lamps that were still lit, and removed a piece of parchment from his pocket.

Peter concentrated hard, hoping he'd remembered the address correctly as he jotted it down - _33 Spinner's End, Cokeworth, The Midlands._ Not hard to remember really. He quickly added a note to it, to Lucius Malfoy, sending him the information as he'd requested, signing his name at the bottom. Pleased with himself, he stuffed the slip of parchment back in his pocket, ready to take up to the Owlery in the morning, planning on using a school owl to send the note to Malfoy Manor.

Yes, he'd done well this time. He'd not been able to find out just what Snivellus talked about, or why everyone was so interested in him - which is all Regulus wanted him to do. But now Lucius had given him a task he _could_ do. Sneaking into hidden areas unseen, collecting information that had been written down. Yes, that was definitely better suited to his expertise. He could be clever and cunning when he needed to be. And useful. Hopefully this little note would show them how useful he could be - this could lead them to Snivellus' mother as the Dark Lord wished. He would be remembered for that. He should be rewarded for it. And hopefully, Lucius would make good with his promise - that if he could bring them this, bring them Snape's address, Peter Pettigrew would get his very own meeting with the Dark Lord. He would be able to take his side officially in this growing war.


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

"So, you're all going home for Easter, then?" Lily asked the boys as they made their way towards the portrait hole.

"Another holiday here for us lot" Sirius confirmed with a mock wince. Remus gave her a guilty look.

"Yeah, sorry about that" Remus said sheepishly. Sirius laughed, clapping Remus on the back as she pushed the portrait open. The four of them clambered out of the opening, the boys all eager to head down to breakfast, herself keen to find Severus, just as she did every morning.

"I'm sure it will all be fine" she shrugged, offering a small smile as James closed the Fat Lady's portrait. "Though, what about... _him?_ Is he staying too?" she asked, she really hoped not, though who could tell what the estranged Gryffindor was up to lately?

"I doubt it" James shrugged, "He's definitely 'not talking' to us" he added with a sigh.

"Yeah, I highly doubt he wants to willingly be locked up with us, wherever that may be" Sirius added with raised eyebrows.

The boys started to make their way down the stairs when the sound of footsteps from down the corridor distracted her.

"Did you hear that?" she asked them.

"What? I didn't hear anything apart from my stomach!" Sirius grumbled.

"I thought I heard something, back there" she frowned.

"Probably Filch on the prowl or something" James suggested, though she wasn't sure.

"I'm just going to take a quick look" she told them, "You go on down to breakfast"

"I'll come with you, Lily" Remus said. Lily nodded, slightly relieved at his offer.

"Well don't be too long, Moony" Sirius warned before continuing on, James mumbled something as he followed the other boy down the stairs, an arm draped casually on his friends shoulder.

Lily headed off in the direction of the other corridor on the seventh floor. The corridor with the special room. She could definitely hear footsteps, and a soft muttering.

"You didn't have to come with me, Remus" she said quietly as they walked.

"Nonsense, you shouldn't be off investigating things alone" he answered, "And I _am_ a Prefect too" he smiled. That was true, he was the most sensible one to accompany her, and she could trust him.

As they rounded the corner, they could see Professor Trelawney pacing the short stretch of wall, whispering things Lily couldn't quite hear. This was the first time she'd seen the woman up close since that day in Hogsmeade. She'd forgotten just how wild her hair was, and how peculiar her eyes looked behind glasses that magnified them so many times.

Trelawney turned to face her, her shawls rustling, bangles jangling as she stopped abruptly. She was clutching something in her hands. Lily swallowed nervously, reminded too closely of how that first meeting went. Only this time, she felt like she was the one being scrutinised.

"Professor Trelawney, are you all right?" Lily asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Of course, dear girl. Quite all right" she replied, taking a step towards her. "The question is, are _you_ all right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow expectantly, waiting for her reply.

"I'm fine" Lily frowned, "Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, not entirely sure she wanted an answer. Trelawney didn't respond, only began shuffling the deck of cards she held. Tarot cards. Lily couldn't take her eyes off them as they moved, captivated by the light catching on the gilt edges.

"Something is stirring, dear girl. A storm" Trelawney whispered.

"Come on, Lily. Let's go" Remus whispered in her ear. Lily couldn't move.

"You know the truth. You know better than most, what lies ahead. You know what the boy must do" Trelawney told her. Lily's eyes snapped up to hers. "You know his fate, you are linked. You have your own role to play"

"I don't know what you're talking about" Lily spoke quietly, shaking her head in denial.

"Of course you do!" Trelawney protested, thrusting the cards towards her "Shuffle them" she instructed. Lily dropped them to the floor as if they burned. She couldn't, she _wouldn't_ be drawn in to her ramblings. Remus jumped back in surprise, clearly startled by her reaction.

"No matter, no matter. I see fate has selected a card for you anyway" she told her. Lily looked down at the cards, all spread out across the rough stone floor, all face down. All except one. One single card lay facing upwards. She tore her gaze away as Trelawney bent down, scooping up that lone card. "The Wheel of Fortune" she stated. "Some say the wheel of destiny, or fate. As I said, fate is already at work, the wheel has been turned, it is in motion for us all - and you will play your part. Though, for you, the card is reversed. Your part is yet to come - soon, but not yet. For now, you are trapped, waiting. You will play your role when the wheel is turned again" she explained, now kneeling to gather up the rest of her fallen cards.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked quietly, folding her arms across her chest, hugging herself in a futile effort at protection.

"Lions are indeed brave, young lady. But in this fight, _you_ must be braver than most, braver than grown wizards. You can help him in his quest. You _will_ help in more ways than you can understand. You will help slay the monster. You will end the reign of the snake"

"What snake?"

"The enemy you fight. The snake will only be destroyed by a lion - a fierce and brave lion. And you will do it, to protect the chosen one" Trelawney whispered. No one said anything for a few moments, Lily and Trelawney merely locked eyes, each seemingly waiting for something else to be said. Neither knew what it was though.

"Perhaps we should be going now" Remus whispered, tugging on the sleeve of her robe. Trelawney nodded and smiled as he gently pulled her away. "What the hell was that about?" he asked as they rounded the corner.

"Not a word, to anyone about this" she warned, her voice low.

"But -"

"No, Remus. Not a word. Please" she begged "Just tell them we ran into Trelawney and she kept us talking. No details" she told him.

"But, Lily, they're going to want to know more than that!" he protested. Lily sighed heavily.

"I know that, Remus. Everyone wants to know everything, and the more people that know, the more risk there is of someone _bad_ finding out something they shouldn't, and the more danger there is!" she snapped, beginning the trip down the stairs, almost running down the steps, needing to find Severus. Needing to find Dumbledore.

"Lily!" Remus called after her, finally catching up to her again as she approached the Great Hall.

"Look, Remus, as far as anyone's concerned, she's just a nutter with a deck of cards. And today, she _tried_ to convince me to have a reading and I threw the cards on the floor, all right?" she asked quietly, he voice getting harsher as she carried on.

"Fine. I won't tell them" he said softly. Lily nodded before striding quickly through the doors, spotting Severus at the Slytherin table. Severus glanced up as she approached, the smile that had been on his face quickly turned into a frown as he noticed her expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"We need to go to Dumbledore, now" she answered.

"Has something happened?" he asked, rising from the bench.

"Oh, just a little run in with Trelawney" she told him with a feigned nonchalants, grabbing his hand and pulling him quickly back the way she had come.

"Trelawney? What did she say?" he asked nervously.

"I'll tell you when we get up -" she cut herself off as she exited the hall, almost colliding with the Headmaster.

"Sorry Professor" she said quickly as he reached out his hand to steady her.

"Quite all right, Miss Evans" he said quietly "As it happens, I was just on my way to ask the two of you to accompany me to my office" he said.

"Has something happened, Sir?" Severus asked, Lily looked up at him before looking back to Dumbledore.

"We'll talk about it upstairs" he answered, his face sad, eyes missing the sparkle of amusement she was used to seeing from him. Something bad had definitely happened, and her run in with Trelawney was probably the least of their concerns this morning.

"Of course, Sir" Lily answered softly. Satisfied, Dumbledore turned and started heading for his office, Lily and Severus following hand in hand, ready to support each other just as they always did, and always would.

...

Severus and Lily sank into their usual seats in the Headmaster's office, hands still clasped tightly together, watching Dumbledore as he poured the tea before setting himself into his own chair.

"What's happened, Sir?" Severus asked him again. He had a bad feeling about what was coming next.

"There was an attack in the early hours of this morning, not at all unexpected all things considered, in some ways I expected it before now -"

"Sir" Severus interrupted. Dumbledore sighed.

"Spinner's End was attacked last night"

"Spinner's End? Why? My mother isn't there" Severus said.

"No, your mother wasn't there, she is perfectly fine, I've checked in with the Weasley's already" Dumbledore assured him.

"Was anyone hurt?" Lily asked.

" A few minor injuries to the nearest neighbours. It would seem that Voldemort is rather keen to talk to your mother, Severus. Finding the house empty they started a fire" he explained.

"Has the house been destroyed?" Severus asked, not at all bothered if it had been, he'd always hated the place. He was only concerned about his mother and what she would do, where she would live once the war was over.

"I'm afraid so, Severus. And the two nearest neighbours houses sustained damage. Now, when your mother went into hiding, anything of value was packed and placed in storage" the Headmaster told him. Severus nodded, it could have been a lot worse.

"How did they find the address?" he finally asked.

"Now that is something I have yet to discover. It could be pure chance, speaking with people until they narrowed it down -"

"Ministry records?" Severus interrupted.

"Possible, but unlikely. Security on personal records at the Ministry has been tightened since the last attacks"

"Well that only leaves one other place they could have found the information then" Severus stated as if pointing out the obvious.

"Severus?" Dumbledore asked, inclining his head.

"Here" Lily answered. Dumbledore frowned.

"Here" Severus echoed, "Student records"

"Highly unlikely, Severus" the Headmaster assured him,

"Unlikely, not impossible" Severus pointed out.

"The student records are safely secured in Professor McGonagall's office, the only one with access to that room is Professor McGonagall herself, unless they have her permission. That room is heavily warded, no one could have broken through it without her knowing" he explained calmly.

"I still think someone has done it here, there are plenty of students who would do it to gain favour with the Death Eaters or Voldemort" Severus stated.

"And if someone _has_ found a way to gain access to the records, what's to stop them going back again. What if they've looked at my records, my parents address, they only live around the corner from Spinner's End" Lily said worriedly.

"I believe we should pay your parents a visit, Miss Evans" Dumbledore said quietly.

"We?" Lily asked.

"Yes" he nodded, "I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to convince them, perhaps if you accompany me we shall have more luck" he smiled. Lily nodded, letting out a heavy breath. Hopefully this time, they would listen. They would have heard about the fire by now in the local news, if they hadn't seen the smoke from the blaze themselves. Maybe having Death Eaters attack somewhere on their doorstep would be enough to convince them of the reality of this war.

"Sir, I think Lily has something she needs to talk to us about as well" Severus said quietly. Lily looked up at him with worried eyes.

"Oh?" Dumbledore enquired.

"I bumped into Professor Trelawney this morning" Lily began, "She tried to get me to shuffle her cards, but I couldn't do it" she said shaking her head "She was talking about fate, and lions and the snake, and all kinds of things" she rambled, her fingers fidgeting nervously.

"Did she make a Prophecy?" Dumbledore asked.

"No" she said, shaking her head, "It wasn't like that, it was like when she read the cards for Severus"

"Perhaps it would be easier for you to show us" the Headmaster said.

"Show you?" she frowned.

"The Pensieve" Severus told her. Lily swallowed nervously as she nodded her agreement. Severus watched as the Headmaster made his way to the elaborate cabinet of memories, removing the familiar stone basin and placing it on the desk.

"What do I need to do?" she asked in a whisper.

"Just relax, Lily" Severus told her, "Concentrate on the meeting with her, I'll remove the memory. It won't hurt, I promise" he assured her as she bit her lip worriedly.

Severus watched as she took a few deep breaths, placing his wand to her temple.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready" she agreed. Slowly, Severus pulled his wand away from her, watching the silvery strand that followed. The strand broke away from her and Severus placed it over the Pensieve, letting it drift into the basin with a flick of his wand. Lily glanced at the shimmering bowl, enthralled with the swirling mists.

"So that's how you do it, then?" she asked curiously.

"That's how we do it" Severus agreed with a small smile.

"Do you mind if Severus and I take a look?" Dumbledore asked, merely out of politeness, they already knew they were going to view it. Lily shook her head, gesturing them towards the Pensieve.

Severus gave her fingers a squeeze before joining Dumbledore at the Pensieve, the two of them plunging their faces into the memory, leaving Lily alone in the office for the moment. Severus felt himself falling through the blackness for a second before landing in the seventh floor corridor, watching as Lily and Lupin approached Trelawney as she paced and muttered to herself.

He watched as she approached Lily with a rustle of shawls and jangling of jewellery, ridiculously magnified eyes wider than he thought possible, fixed entirely on Lily, eager to impart _something._ Lily was clearly cautious about the woman, she tried to pretend she was calm but her nerves were obvious to Severus.

He watched Lily, transfixed by the cards, watching as the mad woman shuffled them, her eyes fixed on Lily, an excitement flickering there as she spoke of the coming storm, that Lily knew what was coming. Lily did know, knew more than most, just as Trelawney pointed out. He supposed that was what made the woman so unnerving, so rattling. Inside her theatrical ramblings was a grain of truth that made it difficult to ignore. It got under your skin.

He noticed that even Lupin seemed wary of her, nervous as he tried to convince Lily to come away. They watched and listened as Trelawney continued, as she shoved the cards into Lily's hands, as Lily dropped them to the ground, startled and desperate to avoid a reading by the woman.

Obviously she was unsuccessful, whatever had happened she surely would have chalked up to fate anyway. Severus sighed as the woman told Lily her fate, her role, her place in this war. She was linked to Severus in more ways than one. She was indeed, trapped, whether she wanted that or not. He hated how shaken Lily looked, wanted to wrap his arms around the memory-Lily and comfort her, just as she was trying to comfort herself.

Severus watched helplessly as Trelawney continued her ramblings, oblivious to her effects as she called Lily the brave lion, told her that she would be brave, braver than the rest. Lily would be. He already knew that, she could be fiercely protective when it was needed. She will slay the monster? End the reign of the snake? What did that mean? She would take on Voldemort when the time came? For him? He couldn't let her do that. He wouldn't. It was too dangerous.

"What snake?" Memory-Lily asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"The enemy you fight. The snake will only be destroyed by a lion - a fierce and brave lion. And you will do it, to protect the chosen one" Memory-Trelawney whispered back. Severus could only shake his head, more proof that it was all his fault, she would fight to protect him. He felt the Headmaster's hand on his elbow, tugging him out of the Pensieve, as Lupin tugged on Lily's sleeve in the memory.

Lily was pacing when he landed back in the Headmaster's office, biting her nails nervously as she awaited their return. Severus wasted no time in enveloping her in a hug, his arms wrapping around her body tightly as hers wound around his shoulders, her face buried against his neck.

"It will be alright, Lily" he murmured into her hair, not sure who he was trying to convince most with that statement. After a few moments, Lily pulled herself away from him, sighing as she headed back to her seat.

"I don't know why it's shaken me so much, it really isn't anything we didn't already know" she muttered, shaking her head.

"Same reason I was shaken up" he reasoned, "It's one thing _knowing_ what you have to do, it's another having a stranger point it out to you"

"Yeah" she mumbled sadly.

"You don't have to listen to her, Lily" he pointed out.

"But she's right about you, isn't she? You can't do it alone, Severus. I said I would always be by your side, however you need me" she said firmly "If that means fighting with you, _for you,_ you know I'll do it" she added.

"I know. But it's supposed to be me, to take him out" he said.

"I guess it all depends on how exactly we interpret Professor Trelawney's words" Dumbledore said as he scooped up Lily's memory, placing it into a conjured crystal bottle.

"Sir?" Severus asked.

"She could of course, be speaking metaphorically - the snake merely a reference to our enemy in general. Any enemy"

"Voldemort" Severus suggested.

"It could indeed refer to Voldemort himself" the Headmaster agreed.

"But Severus is the one with power to get rid of Voldemort, she said that himself in her Prophecy!" Lily snapped.

"If anyone's getting rid of Voldemort, it's me" Severus said firmly, "Lily is not fighting for me, it's too dangerous"

"She may not have meant Voldemort himself. Merely an obstacle that needs removing _before_ you can tackle him, Severus" Dumbledore said calmly.

"One of the Horcruxes?" Severus asked with a frown.

"Precisely" he smiled.

"But, you've already got rid of two of them, and you've got plans for the other three, right?" she asked quietly.

"And Lily was the one that found the Diadem, she's helped me enough already" Severus pointed out.

"If Sybill Trelawney is correct, then Lily may be crucial in removing one our final Horcruxes" Dumbledore said. "Or perhaps Sybill was speaking literally" he suggested.

"Literally?" Severus asked, his stomach dropping at just the _thought_ of that option.

"An _actual_ snake?" Lily asked, "That's my role?"

"He doesn't have a snake" Severus said, shaking his head. He couldn't have.

"Not that I have heard" Dumbledore agreed. Severus rubbed his face tiredly, annoyed by the suggestion of him creating another bloody Horcrux. Surely if he got himself a snake and hid another shred of his soul in there, he'd keep the damn thing so close to him that taking it out would make retrieving the Cup from under Bellatrix's nose look like a walk in the park.

"We have to get those Horcruxes. As soon as possible" Severus ground out. That was their only chance, get the Horcruxes and launch their offensive, take the fight directly to Voldemort the instant they were able, not even giving him the chance to even think about getting a snake, never mind creating Horcrux number six.

"Just a few days, Severus, then we can remove the locket" Dumbledore told him. Severus nodded, there was nothing else left to say. "Now, Miss Evans, I suggest we leave this for the time being" he said as he turned his attention to Lily. "You and I shall pay a short visit to your parents -"

"What about classes?" she interrupted.

"I'm sure Severus can collect notes in your absence" he smiled.

Severus stood, recognising his dismissal, taking the slip of parchment from Dumbledore to excuse his lateness to the first class of the day.

"You'll be fine, Lily" he muttered, placing a swift kiss on her forehead despite being in Dumbledore's office, before leaving the room, leaving Lily alone with the Headmaster while he went to join the classes for the day.

...

Severus sat alone at one end of the Slytherin table, the Hall filled with the noisy chatter of students as they eagerly stuffed their faces between lessons. Lily still hadn't returned from her excursion with Dumbledore, and he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign. The news of his home being burned to the ground hadn't been in today's Daily Prophet, he didn't know if that was due to the timing of the incident or if Dumbledore was trying to keep that news as hushed up as possible. Though considering there were plenty of students still in school that had links to the Death Eaters, he was sure they would soon be eagerly spreading the news, even if it wasn't reported in the newspaper. And no doubt whoever had managed to uncover his details would be desperate to get some recognition for their skills from their fellow scumbags or to come gloating over the outcome of their deeds.

For the moment, he was grateful for the normality, however long it would last for, more than happy to be ignored by the population of Hogwarts in general, he didn't need their approval. Severus sighed as Remus approached him, the peace had obviously been too good to last.

"Mind if I join you for a moment?" Lupin asked quietly. Severus shrugged as Lupin sat on the bench beside him. "I assume you heard about this morning?" he asked.

"Mmm. _Muffliato_ " he muttered before continuing "Lily showed us the memory" he said, not taking his eyes off the table.

"What do you think it means?"

"It means that Trelawney is a nutter" he stated calmly.

"Come on, you know it's more than that"

"Look, Lupin, regardless of what I think, I'm not going to talk about it. It's too dangerous" he snapped, wondering if Lupin would ever get it through his thick skull, this was not a topic to be gossiped about.

"She's already told me not to tell anyone" Lupin whispered.

"And I would agree with that entirely" he said. Lupin sighed miserably.

"It's just difficult when there's a war going on and my friends are fighting" he admitted.

"It's war, yes. And talking about what's going on isn't going to help. Just try and forget about what you heard" Severus advised.

"It's not that simple though is it?"

"Then get Dumbledore to Obliviate you then if it's too hard to keep your mouth shut" Severus suggested, though without any sort of malice in his tone.

"We've already lost Peter to the other side"

"There is no one to blame but him for that" Severus cut in.

"True. But I wish we knew _why._ And although you don't consider yourself a _friend_ to me, or James and Sirius, we know what you're fighting for and we don't want to see you hurt" he said quietly. Severus rolled his eyes at the sentimental statements. No, he wasn't their friend. Ally? Perhaps. At most. "And I would consider Lily a friend, and if this woman is saying she has a job to do - like she did you - well, it might not end well"

"There are no guarantees in this, Lupin. In case you missed it, this is war" he repeated that fact again, trying to make his point as clearly as possible.

"I know" Lupin sighed "I'll try not to talk about it"

Severus nodded, his attention suddenly caught as he noticed Regulus Black, leaving the hall alone. Regulus was someone he needed to talk to before he left for the Easter break this coming weekend. Severus excused himself from Lupin's company, striding quickly after the younger of the Black brothers, easily catching up with him as he rounded a corner.

"Classroom, five minutes" he whispered as he drew level with Black, not even waiting for a response as he stalked off towards the staircase, towards the abandoned classroom they'd made use of for previous meetings.

Unsurprisingly, within minutes of entering the room, Regulus joined him, waiting with arms folded across his chest, watching as Severus locked and warded the door, casting his _Muffliato_ to allow them to speak.

"I heard about your house, I'm sorry" Regulus began.

"Death Eaters?" Severus asked.

"Obviously" Regulus shrugged. Yes, it was obvious, he just wanted it confirmed.

"Do you know who found the details? My address?"

"Pettigrew. Lucius Malfoy made the request"

"Brilliant" Severus muttered sarcastically "McGonagall's office?"

"Yes, but don't ask me how" he answered.

"Pettigrew's an idiot, how did he get passed the wards?"

"He was boasting that he did it - got your address that is. Says he's got particular skills the Dark Lord will find most useful"

"Skills? He's a fucking coward!" Severus spat. A coward who could do one thing. Animagus. Severus groaned at the realisation. One more thing he'd have to talk to Dumbledore about. Could rats penetrate the wards? Could it differentiate between genuine rats and an Animagus masquerading as one? Most likely not.

"What is it?" Regulus asked.

"Nothing. Just something I need to follow up later" Severus shrugged. Regulus nodded. "So, is Pettigrew leaving the Castle this time?"

"Yes. Malfoy has invited him to the next meeting. He's quite eager, it's disgusting really" Regulus told him, actually looking disgusted. Severus snorted at the appropriate description for Pettigrew. Filthy rat.

"Sounds like a fun Easter then" Severus said with a raised eyebrow, fighting back a smirk.

"Please. My lovely cousin Bella is holding the 'party' at her manor" he said miserably. "Most likely an initiation"

"Lestrange Manor?" Severus queried, interest piqued by that information.

"Mmm. I'll be doing whatever I can to find a dark room to hide in, alone, pretending I've passed out drunk. That's something they'd approve of"

"Well, if on your wanders around the Manor you happen to come across an old cup with a badger on it, I don't suppose you could grab it for me?" he posed innocently.

"Old cup with a badger?" Regulus frowned.

"Hmm, just a thought" Severus shrugged.

"Are you going to tell me _why?"_

"I wasn't planning on it" he admitted. Regulus groaned.

"I assume it's related to bringing down the Dark Lord?" he asked. Severus didn't answer. "Like the locket he hid?" again, he didn't answer. "And it's all total secrecy?" Regulus mused. Severus stayed silent as Regulus groaned again. "Fine, I'll take a look around. I must be losing my mind" he muttered under his breath. Severus smirked.

"Oh, and if you _do,_ find it, make sure they don't know it's missing"

"Yeah, yeah. I don't think I'd be breathing for long if Bella caught me nicking her stuff!" he told him.

"Mmm, she'd probably lop off a hand or something" Severus thought out loud. Regulus snorted

"For starters" he said as he shook his head, "Anything else you need to know?"

"I think that's about it for the moment"

"In that case, I should be heading out then" Regulus said, gesturing towards the door. Severus nodded, removing the spells he'd placed, watching as Regulus left without another word.

Severus stayed in the silent room for a few minutes, letting the implications of the conversation fully sink in. He had a lead to follow up with Dumbledore. And he potentially had a way of getting his hands on the Cup. He just hoped that his gut feeling about Regulus was correct, that he genuinely wanted to help bring down Lord Voldemort. He also hoped that Regulus could do this without arousing the suspicion of the more insane members of his family, not giving them a reason to test his Occlumency.

It was definitely turning out to be an eventful day, he hoped that Lily would soon be back with good news of her own, that she'd been able to convince Mr and Mrs Evans to hide for the remainder of the war. They needed to do all they could to keep the people they cared about safe from whatever was waiting for them in the days ahead.


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

The Great Hall was quiet, despite it being breakfast time. The majority of the students had left on the train yesterday, off to enjoy a normal holiday with their families. Surprisingly, a fair amount of seventh years had stayed behind, all keen to make use of the library and their 'free time' to revise as much as they possibly could. Once Easter was over, NEWT's would be here in a few short weeks, that realisation had only just seemed to hit a large proportion of the students and they were panicking that they weren't ready. Lily wasn't sure she was ready. She wasn't sure if she even cared about the upcoming exams. It seemed so trivial compared to whatever else she and Severus had to face. To fight.

Fortunately, most of the Slytherins had left the Castle, Severus had told her there was possibly an initiation taking place - the thought of a bunch of seventh years coming back as marked Death Eaters really didn't help matters. And Pettigrew had left, which made it more than obvious where his loyalties were, even if Regulus hadn't confirmed their suspicions. At least with him gone, Gryffindor tower would be much calmer, they wouldn't be watching for him skulking about, wondering what he was up to.

The only positive thing she felt she'd been able to achieve recently was finally convincing her parents they needed to hide. They'd seen the smoke from the fire at Spinner's End, they'd heard the fire engines as they came to tackle the blaze. Having herself and Dumbledore show up that morning, with confirmation that it was Severus' house, that his details had most likely been uncovered by Death Eaters, was enough to convince them they were in danger while they stayed in their own home. Death Eaters could discover their address. Reluctantly, they'd agreed. Her father had requested a leave of absence from his job, and Lily had spent the day there, helping them pack anything of value - sentimental or otherwise. She hoped she was wrong, hoped that her parents wouldn't be targeted because of her. Because she was a witch. And that part had nothing to do with Severus, or their relationship. That was all on her. One more burden to carry. A little more guilt. Helpless.

Severus was sat beside her at the table, but neither of them spoke. Neither of them ate, for that matter. Both thinking about what Severus would have to face today. Today, he was off to retrieve the Locket. Or attempt to retrieve it, at least. He'd told her what he would have to face, what he knew of anyway. Regulus had told him what his house elf had been subjected to. Pain, cold, evil potion, Inferi. It was the Inferi that bothered her the most. There had been rumours that Voldemort had made himself an army of the dead. His victims turned into hideous puppets to do his bidding. Or protect his pieces of evil, protect a torn off scrap of his mangled soul. Today would be dangerous for him, more so than when they retrieved the ring. And she would have to wait here for him, acting like nothing different was going on, hoping that he would return uninjured. Safe.

Lily dropped her spoon into the bowl, the porridge seemed to get less appetising by the second. Severus squeezed her knee under the table, trying to reassure her, even though it was him that should be the one being comforted.

"Sorry" she whispered.

"For what?" he asked curiously, turning to face her.

"I don't think I'm being much help here" she muttered.

"To be honest, I'd rather not hear any false platitudes. Today is necessary, that's all" he told her. Maybe he was right. It was something he had to do, he didn't need her sitting there with a false smile, telling him everything would be wonderful. No. Today would be a challenge. And frightening. But it had to be done regardless. And Severus would not shy away from what needed to be done.

"Good morning, Mr Snape, Miss Evans" the Headmaster greeted, suddenly behind them.

"Good morning, Sir" Lily answered as Severus gave him a nod.

"I think it's time we made a move, Severus" Dumbledore told him, "And Lily, if you would accompany us for the moment" he added. Lily frowned, that was unexpected. She was going too? Severus didn't look pleased, but he didn't question it as they rose from the bench. Dumbledore left the hall without another word, Severus took her hand, grasping her fingers tightly as they followed him outside, down the path towards the castle gates.

Dumbledore led them through, locking the gates behind them, continuing on until they were outside of the wards of the castle.

"Sir, Lily isn't coming with us, is she?" Severus finally asked.

"No, Severus" Dumbledore smiled, "There is somewhere else I believe she would prefer to be while we are away" he added.

"Where will I be going then?" she asked nervously. The Headmaster only smiled, offering a hand to each of them. Severus and Lily locked eyes as they accepted, the familiar sensation of Apparition gripping them as they did.

A moment later and it was over, she could breathe again as she took in her surroundings. A lovely little village, numerous cottages with pretty little gardens, spring flowers beautifully in bloom, trees with delicate leaves dappling the early morning sunlight on the path they were stood on.

"Sir, where are we?" she asked him. It was lovely, wherever it was.

"This is where you will be staying this summer" Dumbledore told them as they strolled along, "And where your parents are. I thought you may like to spend the day with them" he smiled. Lily let out a heavy breath. Yes, definitely a better place to wait, better than hiding in her room, or even his room, waiting for him to return.

Severus squeezed her fingers as they followed the Headmaster as he made his way through the village, until they reached the required cottage. It was a pretty home, thatched roof, ivy growing around the door, garden wild with all manner of blooming plants and herbs. It was a _proper_ cottage. Exactly what sprang to mind when she thought of one.

"It's so pretty here" Lily whispered.

"I've always found it a peaceful village. Perhaps a tad _boring_ at times" the Headmaster told her with an amused twinkle in his eye. She could live with boring. Excitement was overrated at times. Dumbledore opened the door, a faded blue that just seemed _right,_ not too bright, not too pastel, it reminded her of the blue she'd seen on old china.

"Mrs Evans? Mr Evans?" Dumbledore called out as he entered the little cottage.

"Headmaster?" Lily's mother called as she hurried through to greet them. "Lily? What a wonderful surprise!" she exclaimed as she quickly wrapped her in a hug, "Severus, dear!" her mother said, turning her attention to him, pulling him in for a hug of his own. Lily fought back a giggle at his expression, the pink that tinged his cheeks as she welcomed him. He really wasn't used to physical contact with anyone except her.

"It's wonderful to see you both" her mother said, " Have you come to talk about wedding arrangements?" she asked excitedly.

"I'm afraid not, Mrs Evans" Dumbledore answered, "Severus and I have business to attend to today. I thought Miss Evans would enjoy spending the day, taking a look around"

"I see. What kind of business?" her mother asked nervously.

"Just an object we need to find" Dumbledore smiled "And we really should be off" he said as he turned his attention to Severus, before stepping back out of the door, "Oh, Miss Evans, I've told Hagrid to expect you at the school gates at 6pm, he'll be waiting to let you in" he said as he paused, before continuing down the path, waiting at the garden gate for Severus.

"Please be careful" she whispered as she wrapped her arms around Severus' waist, his own wrapped tightly around her for a moment before a hand cupped her cheek, his fingers slipping into her hair, drawing her into a soft kiss.

"I will. I'll see you this evening" he assured her, pressing a kiss to her forehead before releasing her. "Good bye, Mrs Evans" he said as he reached the door.

"Take care, Severus, dear" she replied quietly. Severus gave her a final nod before stepping outside, heading quickly up the path to join Dumbledore. Lily sighed as she closed the door behind him, she couldn't bring herself to stand on the doorstep and watch him walk off into the distance.

"He'll be all right, Lily" her mother said softly.

"I'm sure he will" she replied.

"Are they really looking for an object?" she asked.

"They are. It's really well hidden though"

"What is it?"

"I can't answer that, Mum. But it's really important they find it" she told her.

"And it has to be Severus?" she asked worriedly. Lily nodded. "Why?"

"I can't go into that, Mum, you know that" she said sadly. She wished she could tell her, she wanted to be able to pour out her heart out to her Mum so she could make it all better. But like everything else, it wasn't that simple. Eventually her mother nodded.

"Why don't we go out for a walk around the village. It really is lovely here" her mother suggested.

"That sounds nice" Lily smiled.

"You know it would be a beautiful place to get married" she said. "We can talk about that, can't we?"

"Yes, we can talk about that" she agreed. It would be good to talk about that, it's not like they could plan anything from school.

"Good. Though what about Severus? He should have a say in it too"

"Mum, I don't think Severus knows anything about planning a wedding, and to be honest, I don't think he minds that much about the details. He just wants us to get married" Lily told her.

"Bless him, he's a sweet boy really"

"He is, but don't tell him that. He doesn't like people to know the _real_ him" she said sadly.

"He shouldn't have to hide so much of himself from the world though"

"No, he shouldn't. But the world hasn't really given him much of a reason to share himself" she said. "How's Petunia?" she asked reluctantly.

"Oh, she's fine. She's started working as a secretary in Vernon's office" her mother said.

"Hmm, that sounds like a _Petunia_ thing" she replied. She couldn't think of much that sounded more boring than being stuck in someone's office, typing and filing and making cups of tea. "As long as she's happy" she added.

"Positively ecstatic" her mother laughed.

"Fair enough" Lily smiled, "Have you told her? About me and Severus?" she asked cautiously.

"I have" her mother sighed.

"I take it she has no intentions of coming to the wedding?" Lily still felt torn on the whole 'Petunia' issue. Part of her wanted to put her foot down, not invite her and her hideous husband at all, give them the same treatment they gave her and Severus. Part of her wanted her sister there, the same as _she'd_ wanted to be at Petunia's wedding.

"I'm sorry, Lily" her mother said sadly. Lily shrugged.

"It is what it is. I can't change it. Those that want to be there, will be there"

"They will" her mother agreed, "Better to have fewer people there who genuinely care about you and Severus, who _want_ to be there" she added.

"I know" Lily said sadly. Although her mother was trying her best to make her feel better, that last statement really told her all she needed to know about Petunia now. Petunia didn't care about her anymore. And she wouldn't want to be there at her wedding, especially when Severus was the groom.

...

"Are you alright, Severus?" Dumbledore asked him as they walked steadily back along the path.

"Fine, Sir" he nodded, "Just ready to get this done"

"I am not expecting this to be easy, and I need your word that you will do what I ask of you" he said calmly.

"Sir?" Severus frowned.

"There will be trials to complete, you will need to assist me. Your word, Severus. Do I have it?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir" he answered. Unsure what would be asked of him. Whatever it was, would simply have to be done. He had a vague idea of what lay ahead, thanks to Regulus' recounting of Kreacher's experience with Voldemort. He knew they were heading to a cave, that they would have to cross a lake in an old boat, drink some evil sounding potion. Oh, and make sure they didn't get dragged to their deaths by the Inferi waiting in the lake to protect the Horcrux itself. Fun.

"Very good" Dumbledore nodded happily, "So, what do you think of the area?"

"It's nice. Peaceful" he answered as he glanced around at the trees. "It feels familiar somehow, but I'm not sure why, or where from" he frowned. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd been here before, though he was fairly certain that he hadn't.

"I'm sure it will come to you" Dumbledore smiled "Ah, this will do" he added as stepped away from the path. The two of them were completely hidden from view of any potential onlookers - not that there would be many here in any case, and it was supposed to be a mixture of Muggle and Magical people making up this community.

"To the cave" Dumbledore said, offering his arm to Severus so he could take them both there. Severus closed his eyes as he touched the Headmasters arm, finding himself being squeezed through the invisible tube. When the sensation ended, he could tell they were by the sea before he opened his eyes. He could smell the salt in the air, feel the breeze blowing in off the waves, could hear the waves crashing below and the gulls squawking as they flew above.

Severus opened his eyes, looking at the bleak landscape, dark rocky outcrops jutting from the sheer cliff face at their backs.

"Nice place for a holiday" Severus muttered sarcastically.

"Indeed" Dumbledore smiled, "Though I rather think the village nearby was the intended destination"

"So, why here? Why do you think this is the right place?"

"The first meeting I had at the orphanage, the matron in charge mentioned young Riddle taking two young children to a cave by the sea - what he did to them is unknown, but those poor children were not the same after that day"

"So, the cave is somewhere he views as important to his magical past?"

"In a sense. I believe he was flexing his powers of control. And fear. Proof that he could make others do exactly as he desired - including hurt" he said sadly.

"Nice kid" Severus frowned.

"Another reason you are nothing like him, Severus" the Headmaster assured him. Severus nodded, relief creeping in that someone other than Lily could see what lay beneath. Someone who knew he wasn't evil. He may have lashed out at his tormentors in retaliation, but he'd never deliberately set out to terrorise those weaker than himself. "Now, we need to make our way down" he said.

Dumbledore began inching his way carefully down the jagged rocks, surprisingly agile for a man of his age. Severus followed the Headmaster, taking his time finding cracks and crevices to grip with his toes and fingers, lowering himself bit by bit down the rock face. Soon, they were both at the bottom, on slippery wave battered rocks, spray splashing on their faces.

"Ah, that is where we head next" Dumbledore told him, gesturing towards a crack in the cliff face, the water swirling towards it.

"We're going in the water?" Severus asked.

"Lovely day for a swim, don't you think?" he posed with some amusement, letting out a short chuckle as Severus rolled his eyes. Without another word, Dumbledore slid from his boulder, swimming steadily towards the dark fissure. Severus leapt in after the Headmaster, following him through the crack in the wall, through the dark tunnel. He could tell the tunnel had opened out into a larger space, though it was now almost pitch black. Severus heard splashing, followed by a whispered _Lumos,_ and he could see the small ledge Dumbledore had pulled himself up onto.

Severus climbed out of the cold, dark water, quickly casting drying and warming charms upon himself before lighting his own wand, watching as Dumbledore turned on the spot, holding his wand high as he examined the small cave.

"We have passed nature's obstacles, now to tackle Lord Voldemort's" Dumbledore told him. "This place has known magic, Severus, can you feel it?" he asked. Severus turned on the spot, much as the Headmaster had done. There was definitely _something._

"It's like the Gaunt shack" he muttered.

"Rather" Dumbledore agreed, looking pleased, "Now, we need to find the entrance" he said as he began pacing around the cave, touching the walls. "I believe _this_ is the place" he finally said, aiming his wand at the wall, revealing the faintly glowing outline of an archway.

"So how do we open it then?" Severus asked. Dumbledore continued staring at the wall.

"Really? How very disappointing" he muttered, actually sounding disappointed.

"Sir?"

"It requires blood, very crude" he said shaking his head.

"A blood sacrifice?" Severus frowned.

"I'm sure you're aware blood is often used as a form of sacrifice, or payment, in the Dark Arts" he said simply. Severus nodded. "And in this case, from Voldemort's point of view it has the added benefit of weakening any who manage to pass beyond this point" he added. He hated to admit it, but it made some amount of sense, even if it was crude. "Well, only one thing to do, then" he said, and before Severus could protest, the Headmaster had whipped a knife from his robes, cutting his arm and smearing the blood across the rough surface.

The archway blazed again with a brilliant silver glow, the bloodied rocks seeming to melt into nothingness.

"Excellent. On we go" Dumbledore said cheerily, healing his wound as they made their way through, wands now held aloft lighting the way in the darkness.

Once in the cave, it was obvious the place was enormous. They couldn't see a ceiling, or the opposite bank. All they could see was black water, impossibly still, unnaturally still, and off in the middle of the lake an eerie green glow was casting a pale sickly light.

"Now we walk, and do not step in the waters" Dumbledore instructed. That was something Severus had no intention of doing, they already knew the army of Inferi waited below the waters surface, waiting to protect the locket. They edged their way slowly, carefully along the narrow ledge, creeping around the rim of the black lake. There was something unsettling about the whole set up, the dark mirrored waters, the green glow, the heavy weight that hung in the air. The presence of evil.

"We need to find a way to cross the lake, don't we?" Severus asked, "Regulus mentioned a boat" though there had been no sight of one on their trek.

"Indeed, no doubt hidden, another task for us on our quest" Dumbledore answered. "Aha, just what we need" he said a moment later. Severus watched as the Headmaster seemed to grasp a handful of nothingness, tapping his wand on his closed fist. A heavy copper chain materialised in front of them, Dumbledore tapped the green tinged chain, looking pleased as it began coiling itself, pulling something out of the waters. A moment later and a tiny boat broke the surface, the same greenish copper as the chain, floating towards them like a miniature ghost ship.

"I think we'll be a little cramped, Sir" Severus said with a raised eyebrow, it didn't look like it would hold more than one person easily.

"In you go" Dumbledore instructed. Severus complied, climbing in as carefully as possible, avoiding any contact with the water, not disturbing what lay beneath. Dumbledore climbed in after him, the boat was incredibly cramped with the two of them crouching. The boat moved almost instantly, as if drawn to the green glow in the centre, plowing steadily onwards of its own accord. Severus could see the ghostly outlines of the bodies in the water, he tried not to look at the gristly scene, the pale dead skin, misty eyes. It was disturbing.

It didn't take long to reach their intended destination, a matter of minutes and the boat bumped to a stop against the rocky island. The two of them clambered carefully out of the tiny boat, onto the smooth rock of the island, cautiously making their way to the source of the green glow. Upon a pedestal sat a stone basin, filled with a bright green potion. And they knew the locket was concealed at the bottom. Without really thinking, Severus reached his fingers towards the glowing liquid, surprised when his fingers didn't reach it, it was almost like something solid was preventing it entirely.

"We already know it must be drunk" Dumbledore said calmly.

"Yes, and that the side effects will be _unpleasant_ at the very least" Severus said with a frown.

"Quite. We also know it will not cause immediate death - Voldemort will want the drinker to suffer, and Kreacher did survive his encounter" Dumbledore told him. Severus nodded. It wouldn't be pleasant, whatever the potion did, but even the knowledge that it wouldn't immediately kill the drinker wasn't exactly comforting. "Now, you must ensure I drink all the potion, Severus. No matter what I say once we begin, it is the only way we can retrieve the locket. Once we have it, we must get out of the cave as quickly as possible, get to the Hog's Head - Aberforth is expecting us" he told him. Severus nodded again.

Dumbledore twirled his wand gracefully, plucking the conjured crystal goblet out of the air. Severus held his breath as the Headmaster sank the goblet into the potion, filling it to the brim. Dumbledore raised it, as if proposing a toast.

"Well, bottom's up" he smiled, before swallowing the potion. The Headmaster squeezed his eyes shut tightly, dipping the goblet back into the potion and draining the contents. Severus watched as Dumbledore repeated the motions, shaking his head as he attempted to continue. Dumbledore filled his cup again, letting out a shudder as he leaned against the basin.

"Sir, are you all right?" Severus asked quietly, watching carefully as his face twitched. Severus grabbed to hold him steady as the cup started to slip.

"I don't want anymore!" Dumbledore panted, his voice full of fear as he shook his head in refusal.

"You have to drink it, Dumbledore" Severus told him calmly.

"Don't like it... Stop" the Headmaster sobbed.

"You can't stop, Sir. You need to keep drinking" he told him, helping him to lift the goblet to his lips. Dumbledore drank the potion, slumping down onto the smooth rock. Severus took the goblet from his hands, refilling it with sickly green liquid, lifting it once more to Dumbledore's lips.

"Just one more, Sir" he told him.

"No... no... let me go!" Dumbledore protested in a pitiful voice. Severus tipped the potion into his mouth, refilling it again.

"You can do this, we'll go soon" he assured him, helping him drink another goblet full.

"Please don't make me!" he begged, "I want to go home!"

"I know, soon. Just drink this and we can go" Severus told him, tipping the potion in, hating himself just a little bit more for what he had to do. Severus scooped up another goblet full. Dumbledore screamed, a sound of pure terror echoing around the enormous cave.

"It's my fault!" he sobbed "I didn't mean it!" he cried as Severus emptied the goblet again as he was instructed.

"I know you didn't, it's ok" he told him, no idea what the Headmaster blamed himself for. Severus continued the cycle, refilling the goblet, forcing Dumbledore to drink it, Dumbledore screaming and crying and begging for forgiveness while Severus kept telling him it was all ok, they'd go home soon. Lying to him over and over again to try and get what they needed.

The goblet scraped the bottom of the basin. Soon. Soon it would be done. Dumbledore screamed again with the pain.

"No more, please, I can't take any more!" he sobbed. Severus continued feeding him the potion.

"We're nearly there, Sir" he assured him.

"I want to die! Make it stop!" Dumbledore begged.

"It will stop soon, I promise" he answered, tipping another goblet of potion into the Headmaster's mouth.

"KILL ME!" Dumbledore screamed, collapsing hard to the ground, gasping for breath. Severus went to refill the goblet again, instead finding the locket.

"Sir, we've done it!" Severus gasped, picking the locket up from the stone bowl, damp from the potion. Severus stared for a moment at the locket, the snake, the details. It was definitely Slytherin's locket. The Horcrux. "Sir?"

"Water" Dumbledore panted weakly. Severus nodded, stuffing the locket into his pocket, clutching the goblet.

" _Aguamenti"_ he muttered, filling the goblet with water, sighing as it disappeared before he could get Dumbledore to drink it.

"Water" Dumbledore whispered again.

"It would seem he is trying to force us into the lake, Sir" he told him, "We need to get back outside"

"Water" he begged.

"The charm doesn't work in here, we need to get back in the boat" he explained, pulling Dumbledore back to his feet, leading him carefully to the tiny boat, his arm wrapped around his waist to steady him. Dumbledore was leaning against him heavily, the potion had clearly weakened him - physically and mentally. Severus bundled Dumbledore into the boat, desperately trying to make sure they didn't disturb the lake. Severus climbed in after him, crouching carefully as the boat began to carry them back across the water.

Severus lit his wand as they sailed away, the green glow gone along with the potion. The journey couldn't end fast enough, Dumbledore was still panting and sobbing softly, Severus kept an arm on him, holding him steady to avoid tipping the boat over. That was the last thing they needed.

Thankfully, within minutes, the boat bumped against the edge, grinding to a halt against the rough stone. Severus helped the Headmaster climb cautiously out, following close behind. The instant they were clear, the boat sank silently back below the surface of the water, the ripples vanishing mysteriously quickly. Severus helped Dumbledore edge slowly around the narrow rim surrounding the lake, eventually finding their way back. Severus groaned when he saw the archway had sealed itself again.

With no other choice, Severus took Dumbledore's knife, quickly cutting the palm of his hand and wiping it across the rocks. The archway blazed again, the rocks melting away, allowing them to pass back through. Severus healed his hand as they walked, back into the smaller chamber, the crack to the outside world visible once more.

"We need to swim out, Sir. We can't Apparate in here" he told him. He wasn't sure if Dumbledore would be able to do it. The swim was short, but in his weakened state it might not be possible. Dumbledore nodded weakly, jumping into the cold sea waters, swimming slowly back out through the gap in the rocks. Severus followed, eager to keep close by, hopefully able to assist if it became necessary. Once again, Dumbledore surprised him, as he managed to exit the cave, pulling himself up onto the boulders of the cliff they'd descended that morning.

"Are you all right, Sir?" Severus asked as he joined him on the rocks. Dumbledore nodded, coughing as he did. "Let's get out of here then" he said, grabbing hold of the Headmaster and Apparating them to the alley behind the Hog's Head. They landed heavily in Hogsmeade, Dumbledore stumbling and falling to his knees.

"Sir?" Severus asked, alarm creeping into his voice as he placed a hand on Dumbledore's shoulder. He needed help, but didn't dare leave him, or enter the pub, it was the middle of the afternoon and they had no idea who else might be in there.

A moment later and the back door burst open, a sigh of relief as he spotted Aberforth heading towards them.

"Wondered when you'd be bringing him" Aberforth said gruffly, a frown on his face as he looked them over "Come on, let's get him upstairs" he instructed. Severus nodded, crouching beside Dumbledore, pulling him to his feet, draping the old man's arm around his shoulders to guide him inside.

Slowly, Severus guided them up the stairs, following as Aberforth led them to one of the dusty rooms he'd prepared. Severus helped the Headmaster onto the bed, Dumbledore sighed in relief as he eased himself back against the pillows.

"Here, Sir" Severus said, filling a goblet with water and helping him drink. At least this was something beneficial. "More?" he asked him. Dumbledore shook his head, closing his eyes as he seemed to sink further down. Severus inspected the tray of bottles left on the small table, pain relievers, various antidotes ready to make use of. Evidently Dumbledore had planned ahead with his brother. The little bit they did know beforehand proving of some use. Severus selected one of the antidotes, one that would act against a wider range of poisons in some capacity - they didn't know _exactly_ what was in that ominous green potion. They only knew what it did.

"This will help" Severus told Dumbledore, lifting the vial to the old man's lips. Dumbledore opened his eyes, looking more exhausted than he'd ever seen him. And much older, more like his _actual_ age. Dumbledore gave him a slight nod, before taking the potion in a single swallow.

"Thank you, Severus. You have done well today" Dumbledore whispered. Severus shrugged, he didn't feel like he'd done much apart from force feed him poison, torturing the Headmaster.

"You need some rest, Sir" he told him. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Very, very tired" Dumbledore answered.

"You will stay here tonight?" Severus asked, that would make the most sense. If he escorted Dumbledore back to Hogwarts in this state it wouldn't take long for the gossip to spread.

"Yes" he sighed "You will meet Hagrid at the gates at six" he told him. Severus nodded. _And Lily,_ his mind added, she would be there at six too. "You have the item we went for?" he asked.

"Of course" he answered, patting where it lay in his pocket. It felt like a rock, weighing him down even though the item itself was small.

"I will send for you when I am back, so we can do what must be done" he whispered. Aberforth came back in the room at that point, carrying a plate of sandwiches and a drink.

"Looks like you've had a hell of a day" he grunted as he placed them on the table beside the potions.

"You could say that" Severus agreed.

"Well, you should drink that, dare say you need it" he instructed, gesturing towards the glass he'd brought up. Severus eyed the contents cautiously. "Firewhiskey" Aberforth told him as he noticed his confused expression, Severus frowned.

"Corrupting the boy already, Aberforth" Dumbledore chuckled softly.

"The state you pair are in, the boy needs a drop" he growled. Eventually, deciding that was probably true, Severus gulped down the amber liquid, attempting not to cough as it burned the back of his throat. Severus refilled his glass with water as the older men chuckled. One shot of that was definitely enough for him, he had no desire to be anything like his father had been.

The room lapsed into silence as Severus helped himself to one of the sandwiches. Dumbledore and his brother seemed to be making a point _not_ to talk to each other much, apart from the teasing comments. Soon, soft snores could be heard coming from Dumbledore, which was probably for the best, sleep was always helpful when it came to healing, and he needed to recover after today's events.

"You don't have to do everything my brother asks, you know" Aberforth told him, his voice a harsh whisper.

"He didn't make me go" Severus whispered back.

"This War, it's a nasty business. And you're still just a boy" Aberforth argued.

"I'm aware of that, but for some reason both Dumbledore and You-Know-Who want me" he told the man.

"I know my brother thinks you're important. But you still have a choice" Aberforth said with a frown. "He shouldn't be asking children to fight his battles"

"I'm not fighting _his_ battles, I'm fighting my own" Severus told him quietly.

"Just be careful, if that's what you really believe" Aberforth said, patting him on the shoulder before finally leaving the room.

Severus sighed, leaning back in the small wooden chair. How did he feel? He had no choice, he would fight, regardless of what anyone said, he couldn't be dissuaded. And whose fight was it really? Was he helping Dumbledore win the war? Or was Dumbledore helping him?

It was neither of things. This was _everyone's_ war. Everyone would have to choose a side and everyone would fight. Fight to keep themselves alive, to keep their loved ones alive. To keep the wizarding world alive. He might be the one gathering up the clues, Dumbledore might be the one directing the troops, but it wasn't just _their_ war. They had a responsibility with the knowledge they had, to protect everyone else. And Severus knew he intended to use that wisely, and for the right reasons. To keep the world safe.


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72

"So, what are you up to today then, Evans?" James Potter asked her as he seated himself opposite her at the Gryffindor table.

"Not much" Lily shrugged. "Probably more reading. What about you? Where's Remus?" she queried. It was unusual for Potter and Black to be at breakfast without Remus.

"He's resting while he's got chance" Black told her.

"Yeah, quiet day for us. Before tonight" Potter added in a whisper. Lily frowned for a moment before she caught on. _Full moon._

"Ah, so it'll be a quiet few days then I take it?"

"Definitely" Potter nodded.

"So where's lover boy this morning?" Black teased.

"We're not joined at the hip, you know" she said, rolling her eyes.

"So, you're not going to be spending the day with him?" Potter asked.

"What's your point?" she asked innocently. The two boys exchanged grins. "I thought he'd be here by now" she added quietly.

"Having a lie-in then? So where did you two disappear off to yesterday?" Potter asked "I noticed Dumbledore leaving with the two of you"

"He took us to see my parents" she answered, "I'm not used to this 'staying in the castle' business" she said quietly. Potter and Black nodded, but didn't comment any further, both deciding that the pastries on offer this morning were suddenly the most interesting thing they could pay attention to. They had the opposite effect on Lily, food becoming less appetising as she waited for Severus.

Sighing, she took out her mirror, talking to him in some capacity would no doubt help, reassure her that he was fine, he was on his way to meet her as planned.

"Sev?" she whispered into the mirror, her worried reflection staring back at her as she waited. "Sev? Are you there?" she asked again as the seconds stretched on. Still, there was no reply. Hopefully he was just in a deep sleep.

"Everything ok?" Potter called across the table.

"Mmm. Probably" she shrugged, wrapping a couple of the pastries in one of the napkins on the table. "See you later" she said as she made her way out the hall, speaking Severus' name into the mirror every minute or two as she made the journey, getting more worried as she continued to get no response from him.

Soon, she was outside his room, debating with herself whether to knock first or just let herself in. Was he even here? Maybe Dumbledore was already back and they'd gone to destroy the Locket. Though, she liked to think that he would have at least told her before going anywhere, especially if they'd had to leave the Castle again. Lily let herself into the room, whispering the password to the portrait.

Lily stepped inside, peering cautiously into the darkness. Severus was sat upon his bed, facing away from the door. He didn't even flinch, or glance around when the door opened. It was worrying.

"Sev?" she frowned, stashing her mirror back in her robes, lighting the walls lamps as she pushed the door closed. He still didn't respond. Lily walked slowly around to the other side of the bed, wanting to look at his face properly. She placed the pastries on his desk, before crouching down in front of him, reaching to touch his cheek. Finally, his eyes met hers with a frown.

"Lily?" he whispered.

"Sev, what's wrong?" she asked him.

"Wrong?" he frowned.

"You didn't come down to breakfast, I tried contacting you over the mirror. I was worried" she said gently.

"Oh" he replied. "I didn't hear you. Sorry"

"So I gathered" she told him, running her fingers gently through his hair. He looked exhausted. It was only then that she noticed he was still wearing the same clothes he'd had on yesterday. And he was clutching something tightly in his hands. The Locket.

"Have you been sat here since I left you last night?" she asked calmly, trying to keep the concern from entering her voice.

"I guess so" he shrugged, averting his eyes. "I don't like this" he whispered. "The Locket"

"Then why are you still holding it?"

"I didn't want to put it on, I know it does _something_ if it's worn"

"I think it's doing _something_ with you holding it" she told him. He nodded. Lily carefully took his hands in hers, hoping she could remove it from his grasp. His hands tightened around it, almost a reflex action. Gradually, he relaxed as her thumbs stroked small circles on his hands, before he surrendered it to her.

It was awful. Not the Locket itself, it was rather handsome, not to mention an ancient artefact belonging to one of the schools founders. It was the feeling. The delicate piece of jewellery weighed in her hands like lead, and she could feel it pulsing beneath her fingers. Like the shred of soul had some kind of twisted heartbeat, encouraging whoever held it, to keep it close. Protect it. She shuddered as she stood and placed it on Severus' desk, breaking the contact. Severus had buried his face in his hands when she turned back to him, frustrated or embarrassed at his reaction, at the fact that he'd been sat on his bed all night clutching that thing in his hands.

Lily stood in front of him, stroking his hair, waiting for him to come around. Eventually he dropped his hands, instead wrapping them around her waist pulling her closer to him, resting his head against her chest as she continued running her fingers through his hair before she pressed her lips to his forehead.

"I'm sorry, Lily" he murmured.

"You don't have anything to apologise for" she told him, "I wish I could have stayed with you last night, to make sure you were ok"

"Me too" he admitted, pressing himself closer, his ear close to her heart.

"Feeling better?" she asked as she heard him sigh.

"Mmm" he nodded against her.

"Why don't you lie down for a bit? Before Dumbledore sends for you" she suggested.

"Will you stay?"

"I'm not going anywhere" she assured him. He released her then, crawling up the bed to lean against the pillows, his arm outstretched towards her. Lily smiled as she settled herself against his chest, his cheek resting against the top of her head, arms holding each other tightly, tight enough she could believe they would never let the other go.

Gradually, his hold of her loosened, softened as he dozed off, but she wouldn't let him go. She was content to stay here in his arms, letting him get the sleep he so obviously needed. She knew he hadn't been sleeping well lately as it was, but after yesterday's excursion with Dumbledore, he needed to rest more than ever. And if her presence was what allowed him to do just that, she was more than willing.

Lily closed her eyes as she listened to the steady thud of his heart beat, hoping he would be able to sleep most of the day away. Unfortunately, Severus wouldn't be so lucky, as Dumbledore clearly had other ideas. A silvery phoenix appeared beside Severus' bed, hovering in silence for a moment before Dumbledore's voice came from the shimmering form.

"Severus, please join me in my office as soon as you are able" it spoke, before the phoenix disappeared. Severus groaned.

"I didn't think he'd be back quite so soon" he admitted.

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked.

"If you don't mind" he nodded. The two reluctantly removed themselves from the bed, wishing they could have stayed a while longer. Lily grabbed the Locket, shoving it into one of her pockets, not wanting to let Severus handle it when it had clearly effected him. He seemed just as keen to _not_ have it back in his hands, he made no request for it even though he'd seen her pocket it. He only took her hand once she reached his side, leading her from the room, swiftly making the familiar journey to the Headmaster's office.

Before long, they were both sinking into their usual chairs, Dumbledore greeting them pleasantly even though he looked tired.

"You're looking much better, Sir" Severus commented as he met Dumbledore's gaze.

"Indeed, a good night's rest and a few potions seem to have helped enormously, though I believe it may be a few days before I am back at my best" he told them both with a cheerful smile. "Though, you are looking rather tired, my boy" he said.

"The Locket, seems to have an effect if you are in contact with it" Severus told him.

"Oh?"

"It is... disturbing. I don't think I handle it very well, Sir. It feels... almost alive. I can feel it, hear it, whispering" Severus said, his voice quiet.

"All the more reason to destroy it as soon as possible then" Dumbledore said simply, retrieving their home made weapon from his desk drawer. "You have the Locket?"

"I have it, Sir" Lily told him, fishing the ominous weight from her pocket, sliding it across the desk to him.

"Curious" Dumbledore commented, tracing a finger over the inscribed 'S' on the front. "Very curious. Do you wish to do this, Severus?"

"You go ahead" Severus told him. He hadn't mentioned the whispers to her, but if the bloody thing was _talking_ to him it would make it much more difficult for him to destroy it. Better for Dumbledore to take over. Dumbledore nodded, bringing the Goblin made blade down on the Locket with a resounding 'clang'. Severus flinched, either at the noise or the action. Nothing happened. The Locket sat upon the Headmaster's desk without a scratch. All three of them frowned, exchanging confused and nervous glances.

"Why didn't that work?" Lily finally asked.

"I am unsure, Miss Evans" Dumbledore admitted, before attempting to stab the thing again.

"It needs opening" Severus whispered. Dumbledore nodded, aiming his wand at the locket, using every unlocking spell that Lily was aware of, and several she hadn't known. Nothing opened the Locket.

"I think we shall leave this for now. It is too risky to use Fiendfyre inside the school. We will rethink our strategy and tackle this another day" he told them, slipping the blade back into the desk drawer. "For now, Severus, go and get some rest" he instructed, rising from his chair, taking the Locket with him over to the dresser, slipping inside one of the chests before locking and warding it securely.

"Come on, Sev" Lily said when Severus hadn't shown any sign of moving from his chair. Eventually, he gave a tired nod, rising from his chair, accepting Lily's hand as he let her lead him from the office.

Neither of them spoke another word until they were back in Severus' room. He dropped onto the bed, letting out a frustrated sigh, rubbing his face as he settled himself against the pillows once more.

"It'll be ok, Sev" she whispered, perching cautiously on the bed beside him.

"I just thought we'd be another one down today" he admitted.

"I know. But at least it's locked away, Dumbledore will keep working on it, won't he?" she asked.

"Mmm. It's still annoying though. So close, but..." he trailed off, sighing heavily again.

"I know" she answered. What else could she say? Nothing that would help him right now. So she did the only thing she could do. She lay beside him on the bed, pulling him into her arms. "Get some sleep" she whispered. Severus nodded, pressing himself against her, his head resting over her heart, his arm draped over her waist, keeping close. Lily stroked his back gently with one hand, the other running through his dark hair. He still smelled like the sea after yesterday's trip, the scent clung to his hair and clothes.

It wasn't long until his breathing became deeper as he drifted to sleep in her arms, his back rising and falling beneath her hand. For now, he was safe, with her. And she intended to keep him that way for as long as she possibly could.

...

Regulus glanced nervously around the Circle, grateful for the mask that concealed his features. Everyone in the room was masked for the moment. All except two: Bellatrix, because she was insane and wanted the entire world to know where her loyalty lay. And the Dark Lord, obviously, he was never masked. He sat upon his throne like chair at one end of the room, staring at his army of Death Eaters, no trace of expression on his features. If anything, he looked bored as he waited for the new ones to be brought to him. To be Marked. He honestly wondered why people were still practically begging to pledge their allegiance to him. Begging for his approval. Regulus hadn't exactly had a choice in the matter. If he'd refused to take the mark then his mother most certainly would have hexed him for being a disappointment to the ancient and noble house of Black. And if she hadn't then Bellatrix wouldn't have wasted any time in stepping up to hand out the punishment. She was already after Andromeda's blood for the dishonour she'd brought to the name - breeding with a Mudblood. The very idea was disgusting. To Bella, at least. Regulus didn't think that following one's heart was necessarily a bad thing, but Bellatrix didn't have a heart. She couldn't have. She was a monster. A monster dressed in lace, who would be rather beautiful if she didn't look quite so feral in the eyes.

"Bring them in, Bella" the Dark Lord instructed. It may have been Bellatrix's Manor, but the Dark Lord was the master of them all regardless of who technically owned the building.

"Of course, my Lord" she whispered, bowing as she backed away to the doors, throwing them open, wand in one hand as she gestured the young men inside. Four walked in, heads held high, three of them keeping their faces emotionless. The fourth? Not so much. The fourth was jittery, glancing furtively around the room, either excited or nervous, he wasn't sure which. Stupid. All of them utterly stupid. The boys... men... whatever, came to a stop in the middle of the circle.

"Kneel" the Dark Lord instructed. The four obeyed, quickly falling to their knees before their Master. "You have all done well, for me. I am pleased there are still strong wizards ready to fight for our cause when the Ministry is making things so very... unpleasant" he drawled. "Arms" he instructed. The four pushed their sleeves up, exposing their left forearms, waiting for their Master's _generous_ gift. The first two men were marked without issue, both grunting softly with the pain, the Dark Lord giving a twisted smile of approval. The third, Regulus knew - Avery, a seventh year Slytherin, one of the group Regulus spent time with due to their seemingly similar aspirations. Avery was marked relatively easily, a cry and a grunt as the Dark Lord pressed his wand to his arm. Before he came to the final recruit for this evening. "Peter Pettigrew. Lucius tells me you have been most useful inside the walls of Hogwarts. You have uncovered closely guarded information"

"Y.. yes, my Lord" Pettigrew answered shakily.

"You obtained the address for Severus Snape, from a locked and warded office" he spoke softly.

"Yes, my Lord" he replied.

"You can uncover more? I would be most interested in knowing where his Mudblood and her family live. They are the kind of _Muggles_ I should enjoy paying a visit to" he said with a raised eyebrow. More likely he would send Bella and a few of the crazier Death Eaters after defenceless Muggles to slaughter them for daring to give birth to a witch.

"Yes, my Lord" Pettigrew nodded, his voice still unsteady.

"Excellent" the Dark Lord whispered, shoving his wand against Pettigrew's arm, branding him as one of his own. Pettigrew yelped like a scalded puppy, dropping heavily to the floor with a whimper as the Dark Lord released him.

The Dark Lord gave the pathetic lump on the floor a disgusted glare, before stalking back to his throne, removing himself from the conversation. No one would dare approach their Master, it simply wasn't done. His retreat was effectively a dismissal, the assembled group were now free to drink themselves into a stupor on the expensive Firewhiskey provided by the Lestrange's. Everyone would drink, to not would be an insult. The others had begun milling about now, their voices hushed whispers.

Pettigrew was still slumped on the floor, staring dumbly at his newly branded arm, clearly he'd had no idea what he letting himself in for.

"Up! Up!" Bellatrix screeched, aiming her wand at Pettigrew. The boy whimpered, clambering to his feet, still clutching his arm, "Stop snivelling, boy!" she ordered "You have been honoured, in my home, no less" she spat "Now drink!" Pettigrew scurried to the table on the far side of the, numerous bottles on the table along with glasses for the army of idiots to help themselves. Regulus followed, keeping a healthy distance from the stupid boy, he had no desire to enter a conversation with him. Lucius handed him a glass as he approached, Regulus accepted with a grateful nod.

"Reggie!" Bella suddenly squealed, her long fingernails digging in as she clasped his shoulder.

"Cousin" he greeted warmly as he could manage. "To the Dark Lord" he posed, raising his glass.

"To the Dark Lord" she replied, grabbing a drink of her own from the table, raising it to meet his toast, swallowing the fiery liquid in a single gulp. "How is Hogwarts under that old coot?" she asked him with a sick grin.

"Oh, you know how it is" he shrugged "It's as tedious as ever, he certainly makes things difficult for anyone in Slytherin" he replied. It wasn't _that_ bad, he hadn't expelled him for being Marked, even though the Ministry was rounding up any marked Death Eaters and sending them straight to Azkaban - Bella wouldn't want to hear that though. Bellatrix snorted.

"Stupid old fool, loves his beloved Gryffindors. Your darling brother must be enjoying himself" she sneered.

"That blood traitor is _not,_ my _brother"_ he responded.

"Ah! Good man! Filthy blood traitor, siding with that Potter. No doubt the pair of them are chasing _Mudbloods!"_ she spat, her face twisting into one of complete disgust. "Just like Snape! They'll both be dead come summer, you mark my words, the Dark Lord will see to the boy himself" she said proudly.

"Ah good, I do hope I get to see the show" he smirked "And the girl?" he asked.

"I rather hope I get to play with his little pet, hopefully Snape will get to watch before our Master disposes of him permanently. It will be a _beautiful_ day" she told him in a sing-song voice as she poured herself another drink. Regulus fought back the bile that burned the back of his throat.

"Mmm, sounds like it, dearest cousin" he grinned.

"You always were my favourite" she said, patting his cheek in the way an elderly aunt would. "Ickle Reggie always loved a party" she pouted, speaking in that eerie babyfied voice.

"You always held the best parties" he told her, feeling a tad more nauseous.

"And that's why _I_ am your favourite" she stated, patting his cheek again, before cackling like a complete lunatic. Regulus chuckled along with her, humouring her, she wouldn't hex him as long as she believed he was completely loyal, kept responding in the correct way to her maniacal ramblings. "You're staying here tonight" she told him, "I will have a house elf prepare a room"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Bella"

"Nonsense. Family is important, especially _our_ family" she said. There would be no arguing with her. That could either be a very good thing, or very bad, he wasn't sure which it was yet. Regulus accepted with a polite incline of his head which satisfied Bellatrix for the moment at least. Without another word, she turned on her heel, stalking off to find another victim for the evening.

Regulus snatched up a bottle from the table, keeping himself hidden in the shadows, watching as the idiots drank and laughed, their voices getting louder, turning into shouts as their alcohol levels rose. A few fights broke out, angry shouts becoming hexes, Bella's screech of delight as blood was spilled, the Dark Lord watching with an amused smirk like he was pleased his own soldiers were fighting amongst themselves. Maybe he didn't care as long as they didn't actually kill each other, it wouldn't make sense to let his fighters take themselves out of the war before they even got a chance to face the Auror's or Dumbledore's army. Or maybe he considered this entertainment. A soldier or two could be sacrificed here and there if it was an amusing distraction. Or just maybe, they were all insane. Yep. That seemed the most likely. _Why did he have to be born into the family of nutters?_ Why had it taken so long for him to see them for what they were?

The evening wore on and Regulus slumped into one of the corners, clutching the bottle of Firewhiskey. He'd sipped a little here and there to keep up appearances, vanishing some to make it look as though he'd drunk more than he actually had, waiting for the others to either leave or pass out on the cold floor. Pettigrew was curled in a ball against the wall, unconscious either through drink, pain, or the realisation of just how stupid he'd actually been. _Fucking idiot._ Regulus had no sympathy for him, he'd tried to keep him away, knew that he wouldn't have the stomach for what would be expected of him. Pettigrew could have turned his back on the Death Eaters easily before now without repercussions, could have stayed close to Sirius and the Marauders, boys who had genuinely seemed to be his friends. Not now, though. Far too late for that.

It was after 2am when the room seemed to fall silent, other than snores that could be heard coming from some of the slumbering forms. The Dark Lord had left hours ago, his appetite for _entertainment_ satisfied and he'd had no desire to see his men vomiting as a result of their over indulgence. Bellatrix had retired to her bed over an hour ago, along with Rodolphus. Even Lucius had left the mansion, opting to return to his own Manor with Narcissa. Most of who were left were lower ranking members of the Circle, newer recruits, and they all seemed to be sleeping. It was now or never. Regulus heaved himself to his feet, clutching the almost empty bottle, affecting a stagger in case he was witnessed. He shuffled himself from the large hall they'd all been drinking in, heading for the wing furthest from the bedrooms. He had no idea how long he would be searching for, and the object was small. A cup. He had no idea why Snape would possibly want it, but if it was as important as the Locket he'd hidden at the bottom of that vat of poison - poison he'd force fed to Kreacher just to test that it worked - well, then obviously he would do what he could to help.

Cautiously, he pushed open door after door, searching as quickly and as thoroughly as he could. Time was ticking on. It was almost 5am by the time he entered a small library. Racks of shelves filled with books, mostly on Dark Magic. Creepy looking volumes of ancient texts that Bella had most probably brought with her from her family's home. No wonder the Dark Lord favoured the name 'Black' so much. He was about to leave the room when he noticed the nick-nacks set on some of the shelves. Regulus stepped forward, inspecting them a little more closely. Trinkets of various sizes, boxes, an ornate candelabra, and... a cup?

On the top shelf sat a small golden cup, with two handles. And a badger on the front. Regulus glanced down the corridor again before closing and locking the door. He lifted the cup down to take a closer look, peering at the details, running his fingers lightly over the scrolled handles. It certainly didn't look like much. But it felt... peculiar. He couldn't put his finger on why it felt so strange, but it wasn't pleasant. He looked quickly about the room, looking for something he could transfigure to look like this, at least at a glance.

He found a goblet set on a small table, next to what looked like a reading chair. Muttering a few spells, he experimented with altering its appearance. Eventually, he managed to produce something that looked similar enough from a distance, hoping and praying the cup wasn't something that was handled on a regular basis. Or if it was, that he would be safely back at Hogwarts where no one could link it to him. He set the copy on the top shelf where the real one had been taken from before calling for Kreacher in a hushed voice.

"Master Regulus called for Kreacher?" he asked as he appeared before him.

"I did" he whispered "I need you to do something for me, Kreacher"

"Kreacher is happy to obey Master Regulus" the old elf told him.

"Thank you, Kreacher. I need you to take this home for me" he said, showing him the cup.

"Of course, Master Regulus"

"I want you to put it in the bottom of my school trunk, and never speak of this to anyone. Ever" he instructed.

"Yes, Master Regulus" he answered with a low bow.

"Thank you, Kreacher" Regulus said, sighing with relief.

"Does Master Regulus require anything else of Kreacher?"

"No, you should go now. I'll be home later today" he told him. Kreacher bowed again, taking the cup before disappearing with a 'pop'.

Regulus unlocked the door, peering cautiously out before leaving the room as he'd found it, heading back to the hall with the almost empty bottle in his hand. He passed no one on his journey back, and still the only sound he could hear when he re-entered the hall was snoring. Regulus fake-staggered back to his corner, slumping back down on the cold floor. He took an actual swig of the Firewhiskey, letting the alcohol burn in a not entirely unpleasant way, before closing his eyes in an attempt to get a little sleep in this uncomfortable position. His thoughts torn between the relief of finding the cup Snape wanted, and terror at being discovered before he could actually get the cup to Snape.


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Severus was sat at his desk, hunched over the stack of books, attempting to revise. But he kept re-reading the same paragraph over and over. His brain did not want to take in any information whatsoever. It was difficult to focus on Charms theory when his thoughts were consumed with Horcruxes. Well, one Horcrux in particular for the moment. The Locket. They needed to open it to destroy it, and he didn't want to go anywhere near it.

The unlocking spells hadn't worked, and if the venom infused blade hadn't destroyed it, then no other spells would. He was so close to getting rid of the blasted thing, but is was still in one piece, in Dumbledore's office. They were missing something obvious about it. They had to be. Out of the Horcruxes they'd been close to so far, this one had definitely effected him the most. With the ring, he could ignore the whispers quite easily, plus the fact that he'd known in advance that it was cursed made it easier to _not_ touch it. The Diadem just felt odd, and handling it didn't seem to have any adverse effect.

But the Locket. Those whispers were harder to block out. An insidious voice in the back of his mind, encouraging him to keep hold, protect the Locket, before it preyed on his insecurities. He wasn't good enough. Wasn't worthy enough. He would fail. She would die. It would be his fault. _Always his fault._ Somehow, he'd sat there all night, stupidly listening to that twisted voice, it had crept into his thoughts and kept him prisoner. It was only Lily's arrival that had brought him out of it. Back to reality. She'd taken that thing out of his hands, though for a moment he'd still tried to keep hold of it.

Lily was there for him, without judgment, soothing him as she always did. She didn't tell him he was an idiot. Or that he'd failed her. Not once. She'd taken the Locket to Dumbledore herself so he didn't have to handle it ever again. She'd let him sleep in her arms, chasing the demons away for him when he couldn't do that for himself.

He couldn't hear the whispers anymore, but he couldn't help dwelling on the memory of them. Couldn't help but worry that the voice was right. His fears could become reality. Lily _could_ die, and it would be all his fault. If he had kept her at arm's length she wouldn't be wanting to fight side by side with him. _That_ was his fault. He should have kept her away even if it hurt both of them to do so, at least she would be alive. Instead, he kept drawing her ever closer, selfishly needing her love and comfort. Pretending that they could have a future together. A life. Well, they _could_ have that, as long as they survived a confrontation with the Dark Lord first.

Severus glanced at his pocket watch, it was almost 2am now and he still didn't think he'd be able to sleep any time soon. He sighed as tried to focus on the book again, letting out a snort of amusement when he realised he'd been reading and re-reading information about memory charms. Perhaps he should try and sleep after all, he thought as he rubbed his face.

Severus grabbed for his wand as a soft 'pop' sounded behind him, springing from his chair to find Dobby beside his bed, wringing his hands nervously.

"Dobby has returned to see Severus Snape" the little elf whispered.

"Dobby" Severus sighed, tucking his wand back away. The elf seemed to relax at that "Is everything ok?"

"Dobby did find the book for Severus Snape" Dobby told him.

"Really?" Severus asked, relief creeping into his voice.

"It is in Master Malfoy's library" the elf explained.

"Is it somewhere you can remove it from?" Severus asked him.

"Yes, yes. Dobby can fetch the book now" Dobby answered, flapping his ears excitedly. "Shall Dobby be bringing the book now?"

"You're definitely not going to get caught?"

"Dobby will be careful. Dobby can bring the book to Severus Snape"

"Right, well, the sooner we can swap the book, the better" Severus told him, removing the duplicate from its hiding place in his desk drawer. "Now, it's very important that this one gets left in its place, we can't let anyone know the real one has gone" he explained. "Can you do that for me, Dobby?"

"Yes, yes" he squealed "Dobby can do that" he agreed as he bounced up on to Severus' bed in excitement.

"Excellent" Severus said, offering the duplicate to Dobby. Dobby clutched the fake Diary to himself happily, hopping back off the bed.

"Dobby will return, Sir" the elf told him, before disappearing with another 'pop'.

Severus paced the room nervously while he waited, thoughts thankfully drawn away from the Locket and on to the Diary. Within minutes he could have another Horcrux in his possession. That would only leave the Cup to get hold of, and if the universe was feeling generous, Regulus would be bringing that back to Hogwarts with him. Well, even if he didn't, the Cup would be the only piece left to retrieve, and Dumbledore had already said they would have Lestrange Manor raided if that situation arose and take the fight straight to Voldemort. They wouldn't care if he knew what they were doing by then. They'd be able to end this thing. Have a life. Maybe his dreams for a normal life with Lily weren't so foolish after all.

Less than ten minutes later, Dobby reappeared, clutching what appeared to be the same book.

"Dobby has it, Sir" the elf told him, holding the book out towards him. Severus took it cautiously, turning it over in his hands. It was definitely the right book, though it felt different to the other items he'd handled.

"Thank you, Dobby" he said, giving the elf a small smile.

"Dobby has the right book for Severus Snape?"

"Yes" he nodded, "Dobby got the right book. This book is extremely important"

"Severus Snape can get rid of the dark one now?" he asked hopefully, practically bouncing on the spot.

"This will help get rid of the dark one, yes" he confirmed.

"Severus Snape will keep fighting?"

"Until he's gone" he assured him. Dobby practically squeaked.

"Dobby should be going now, Sir" the elf finally said.

"Be careful, Dobby. And not a word to anyone" he reminded him.

"Dobby will be being careful, Sir. Nobody will be knowing what Dobby has done"

"Hopefully we will meet again" Severus told him.

"Dobby would be honoured, Sir" he said quietly. Severus wasn't sure how to respond to that, he only gave him a final nod before Dobby once again returned to Malfoy Manor with a 'pop', leaving Severus alone in silence.

It was gone 3am now, he couldn't take it to Dumbledore just yet, he would have to wait a few more hours. He could do that. Severus resumed his pacing, Diary in his hand, flipping through the blank pages. It was curious, he wondered what form of protection it carried - how would it try and keep itself alive? It wasn't cursed like the ring had been, and it didn't whisper like the Locket did. Maybe it didn't do anything at all. Perhaps the Dark Lord hadn't given it extra levels of protection, believing that none would ever find it. Maybe only his later ones were cursed.

He wanted Lily. She would probably hex him for waking her though, she did not like being woken up. But the Diary might soften the blow a little, she might forgive him once she knew the reason. His mind made up, he grabbed the mirror from his bedside table.

"Lily?" he whispered, staring at the reflection of his own dark eyes as he waited. "Lily, are you there?" he asked again.

"Sev?" her voice whispered back, eyes barely open as her face peered at him from the mirror. "Are you all right?"

"Mmm. I'm ok. I just have something I need to show you"

"Now?" she asked with a frown.

"Yes, I'm sorry. Can you come to my room?" he asked.

"I'll be right there" she told him.

"Thanks Lily" he whispered as her face disappeared again. Severus sat on his bed to wait, only managing a few minutes before he started pacing again. It wasn't long before his door opened as Lily let herself into the room. He stopped still, staring at her, trying to figure out how mad she was.

"I'm sorry for waking you, but I needed to show you this" he said, holding the Diary towards her.

"What is it?" she asked with a frown.

"Horcrux" he whispered.

"Horcrux?" she echoed, taking it from his hands.

"Dobby brought it to me, he swapped it for the fake one Dumbledore made" he explained.

"So there's only one to go?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"Only the Cup" he nodded. Lily laughed then, and he couldn't help but smile.

"And this one doesn't seem to do anything?" she asked as she looked carefully at the Diary, flicking through the pages much like he had done.

"No, it's not cursed, and I don't hear anything. It just feels... odd" he shrugged. Lily nodded. "I'll take it to Dumbledore at breakfast, but I didn't want to be alone with it in case anything happened" he said quietly.

"Sev, it's fine. I'd rather you were safe" she told him "Have you even been to bed yet?" she asked, sitting on his still made bed. Severus shook his head.

"I was up reading when Dobby came" he told her.

"Then perhaps you should get some rest before you take this to him" she said, placing the diary on his bedside table, before settling herself against the pillows. Severus crawled onto the bed beside her, wrapping his arm around her, cradling her back against his chest. Lily linked their fingers together as he peeked over her shoulder, kissing her cheek gently before burying his face in her hair.

"Lily?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. For coming, I mean"

"Any time, Sev" she whispered.

"Lily?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you" he told her, lifting his head to peep over her shoulder again.

"I love you too" she answered, turning so he could press a kiss to her lips. "Now sleep" she told him softly. Severus obeyed this time, snuggling close to her, lulled to sleep by the warmth of her held against him, her back rising and falling against his chest as his mind finally went blank.

When he awoke, Lily had moved, shifted onto her back as he still lay against her.

"Morning" she whispered as he lifted his head, still feeling exhausted.

"Morning. What time is it?"

"Just after seven" she told him. He nodded, resting his head back down against her chest, closing his eyes again as she kissed his forehead.

"I'll get up in a minute" he mumbled.

"I'm not in a hurry" she answered, holding him close. Neither was he, he could stay like this all day. Then his mind reminded him about the Diary. And once he'd thought of that, he knew he couldn't stay here. Groaning, he pulled himself away from Lily's embrace.

"I should get that to Dumbledore" he said, gesturing towards the book lying casually on his table.

"I'll go down to breakfast and wait for you. Hopefully no one will have noticed my sneaking out in the night" she said with a raised eyebrow.

Soon, the two of them were making their way down the stairs. Severus still clutching the Diary to him, eager to be rid of it, leaving just the Locket and the Cup to destroy.

They parted ways at the entrance to the Great Hall, sharing a brief kiss before Lily continued on towards the Gryffindor table, Severus taking his usual route to the Headmaster's office.

Almost without thinking he'd given the password to the gargoyle, risen up the spiral staircase and was being beckoned inside by a cheery Dumbledore.

"Good morning, Severus. To what do I owe the pleasure this fine day?" he enquired, offering a warm smile.

"Dobby paid me a visit in the night" Severus told him, placing the black leather diary on the desk in front of him. Dumbledore sat more upright in his seat as he reached to pick up the book, examining it closely, adjusting the half-moon glasses upon his nose.

"I must say, that is a pleasant surprise" he admitted. Severus snorted, that was a bit of an understatement. "And it didn't come with any nasty surprises?" he asked, glancing up at him curiously.

"Not that I can tell, Sir. I don't think he's given it as much protection as some of the others"

"No, I believe this was his first Horcrux. He may have grown more cautious as time went on" Dumbledore agreed. It would make sense, well, as much as anything Riddle, or Voldemort, or whatever he wanted to call himself ever did anyway.

"Only one thing to do then, Sir" Severus told him.

"Indeed" Dumbledore confirmed, opening his drawer to remove the Goblin blade. Dumbledore offered the weapon to Severus.

"You go ahead, Sir" Severus told him with a shake of his head. The Headmaster nodded, bringing the blade down with a swift stab, the sharp metal pierced through the pages like a hot knife through butter. Black liquid bubbled up, like the book was bleeding.

The Headmaster stabbed it again as the pages continued to leak its 'blood' out onto Dumbledore's desk. Severus stared at it, the morbid curiosity of the scene captivating him. It was different to the others they'd destroyed, it didn't seem to do anything to fight back. There was no mist exploding from it, no dark whisper taunting its potential destroyers. It was oddly silent. The 'bleeding' slowed to a stop, before the liquid seemed to evaporate into the air around them.

"Is that it?" Severus asked with a frown. It seemed strangely anti-climactic after their previous confrontations.

"It would seem so" Dumbledore said, flipping through the pages, all with holes through that looked like they'd been burnt.

"The black stuff?"

"It appears to have been ink"

"Ink?"

"I believe that was its protection. It relied on people writing on the pages to ensnare them"

"Seems rather unreliable"

"Quite. I doubt he was intending for it to be used really. And if someone happened to find themselves in possession of a black diary, it is likely they would use it. A child would most likely assume it had been bought for them by their parents - as happened in the memories you received"

"So whoever had it, wrote in it, and whatever lives - lived - in the Diary possessed them and compelled them to carry out their instructions"

"To open the Chamber of Secrets" Dumbledore added. Ah. _That_ was its protection.

"But it's gone now?"

"It's gone" Dumbledore agreed. "Two left" he smiled. Two left, if they ever managed to get that bloody Locket open, they'd only have one to go.

...

The room at the Hog's Head was dark and dusty, but for now it suited their purposes. A long, narrow table was surrounded by nervous looking faces, Order members waiting for news, for orders. To find out what they would be needed to do.

Albus glanced around at the men and women who waited for him, unsure of even where to begin. There wasn't much he could tell them. He couldn't tell them anything about the Horcruxes, couldn't tell them that at the moment they only needed to retrieve one more in order to make Lord Voldemort completely mortal. Couldn't tell them about Severus and the true contents of the Prophecy, or of Lily and her predicted role. He could only tell them about the latest attacks, and how they would respond.

"Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming" Albus began, greeting his friends with a serious expression. "There has been much happening, both in our world and in the Muggles" he began solemnly. "There have been several disappearances - Muggle men believed to be homeless, no bodies have been found"

"You believe You-Know-Who is behind the disappearances?" Edgar Bones asked.

"We must treat that as a possibility. Lord Voldemort is rumoured to be expanding his army of Inferi, it is not unreasonable to assume he is taking Muggles that may not be immediately missed"

"No family to miss them" Benjy Fenwick added sadly.

"Indeed. Though it means we cannot predict the next target - the disappearances have occurred in a number of towns. For now, there is little we can do, our best chance is to listen out for larger gatherings of known Death Eaters and attempt to apprehend them before they flee"

"Don't you think it's time we started rounding them up, Albus?" Caradoc Dearborn asked, "We know who some of his main supporters are" he argued.

"We do, but for the moment I believe we are in a better position to tackle them away from their homes" Albus told them.

"It won't be long before Crouch starts ordering us in though, Albus" Alastor Moody pointed out. "He's keen to get them all either locked up or killed, he really doesn't care which it is"

"I know, Alastor. He's trying to make his name known, he wants to be considered for the position of Minister when the time comes for Minchum to step down" Albus agreed.

"That's why he pushed through the changes to protocol - he thinks taking a harder stance will end this war and set him apart from any other candidates" Alastor said.

"Indeed, Alastor, but it will take more than a hard line to truly end this. There are still points we need to consider that require a little more subtlety than Barty is able to manage effectively" Albus pointed out. No doubt taking a tougher approach with the punishment of Death Eaters was going to win him some approval with the general public - who were afraid and eager for this war to be ended - but it wasn't going to work while Voldemort still had Horcruxes. Until they were destroyed, he would just keep coming back after a short interlude. And that was where the subtlety came in, sneaking about in the shadows collecting the pieces. At least they were close to the end of that search - only the Cup to retrieve from the Lestrange's, and the Locket once they figured out how to open it. But he couldn't tell the Order about that at all, couldn't take any risk of Voldemort finding out and panic him into either checking on the security of the ones he'd hidden, or into making further ones.

"So, how are things in the Auror office, Alastor?" Albus asked. Alastor sighed heavily before he continued.

"It's tense. We're tracking a number of suspected Death Eaters - as per our orders - but so far none have been confirmed. It's slow going, and not all Death Eaters are marked"

"The ones taken in two nights ago?" Albus asked.

"They've already been sent off to Azkaban - well two of them have anyway. Evan Rosier and Igor Karkaroff were both marked, so shipped off. The other two aren't marked and are being held at the Ministry until we can prove their involvement"

"Well, at least that's a start" Albus smiled weakly. At least that time they'd been able to reach the attack while it was still taking place - a group of Death Eaters launching an attack on a shop in Diagon Alley. Two of them had escaped, four taken in. Any Death Eaters removed was a plus, Voldemort only had a finite number of followers and it seemed as though his recruitment numbers were down. "Did any of our fighters sustain any injuries?" he asked.

"Nothing major" Alastor shrugged.

"Good" Albus nodded in relief. "And what of the Ministry, Sturgis?" he asked as he turned his attention to Sturgis Podmore, a short man with thick blonde hair who worked at the Department of Mysteries.

"People are a lot less trusting than they used to be. I think they're afraid, of who might be a spy for You-Know-Who" he explained.

"Understandable. We know there is at least one spy still working at the Ministry - most likely unmarked after what happened to Rookwood" Albus pointed out.

"That's the other thing that's shaken them. I mean, I worked with Rookwood, I wouldn't have suspected him, he always seemed so friendly and approachable"

"I believe that is what helped to make him an effective spy, his colleagues felt comfortable divulging information to him" Albus told him.

"Well, no one wants to talk anymore. They're all suspicious if too many questions are asked" Sturgis said.

"Better to keep a low profile, and an open ear. Try not to draw too much attention to yourself" Albus agreed. They needed to find out who the spy was, but it wouldn't help if his own men started having fingers pointed at them for asking questions. Again, it came back to subtlety. Sturgis nodded in agreement.

"So we still don't know when or where the next attack will take place?" Fabian Prewett asked.

"Unfortunately not. Without a spy of our own within his ranks, we are waiting in the dark until trouble begins" he agreed. "We all need to keep vigilant, be aware of conversations taking place around us. We don't know who all his supporters are" he pointed out. That was frustrating, Voldemort had several of his men hidden within the Ministry, gathering the information he needed. The Light had no one hidden in the Dark Lord's ranks, though it was so desperately needed. From the memories Severus had received, it seemed as though Severus himself was the only spy he'd ever had. And in this reality, that was not an option. Severus had made it clear from the time he started sharing the memories that he did not intend to join the Dark Lord's ranks - even as a spy. He couldn't take the risk, not for himself, but for Miss Evans. There was no way Lord Voldemort would have believed Severus to be a loyal follower when he was in a relationship with a Muggleborn witch. Even pushing that aside, the Prophecy made even the possibility of placing him in that position impossible - Voldemort discovering the Prophecy's contents cementing that further. Voldemort wanted Severus dead because of the threat he believed he posed. Did pose. And Severus knowing about the Horcruxes was much more useful than him being a spy. Because of these memories, they were close to rendering him mortal. In less than a year, Albus had achieved more with Severus' help, than he had accomplished alone in twenty. No, it was definitely better for Severus to be in this position. And there were only three short months until Severus' schooling was over, hopefully they'd be in a position to take the fight to Voldemort then and remove the darkness once and for all.

"Meanwhile, they're still going to be increasing their numbers though" Gideon put forward.

"Indeed they are" Albus agreed.

"Including some of your seventh years" Alastor pointed out.

"I cannot deny that, Alastor. I believe some will be choosing to follow that path. Though, I suspect there may be one who is reconsidering his choices" Albus told them. Regulus Black.

"Oh?" Alastor asked.

"Though I cannot say more at this time" he added. He couldn't risk Regulus' name being spread around as a potential traitor. For one thing, he was bringing them bits of information when he could, had told them about the cave and the Locket, and might come back with other useful knowledge - even if he wasn't officially acting as a spy. But if Voldemort even suspected he might be disloyal, the poor boy would be killed without a second thought. He couldn't take that risk. Regulus was barely seventeen, and only in his sixth year - though if the War still happened to be raging once his education was complete, he would be in an excellent position to act as a spy for the Light, if he was amenable of course. Though that should only be necessary if Severus failed in his quest. Albus suppressed a shudder at that thought. He couldn't let Severus fail.

"So come summertime, Voldemort increases his army, then?" Alastor asked.

"Our numbers will also increase, Alastor" Albus pointed out.

"You have some who would like to join us?" Alastor asked.

"Two I know for definite - Lily Evans and Severus Snape"

"Eileen's son?" Fabian asked.

"Indeed. How is Eileen faring?" Albus asked.

"Fine, last I heard, seems quite happy with Molly and the boys" Fabian shrugged.

"Is this to do with the prophecy business?" Alastor asked. Albus sighed, he'd hoped not to get into that this evening. "I only ask because there have been whispers for a while about a prophecy, and that Mr Snape is being targeted specifically by Voldemort"

"That's why Eileen is in hiding?" Gideon asked.

"It is. But I'd rather not say anymore at this time. Lord Voldemort believes Severus to be his number one enemy, and we must protect Severus as such - regardless of our belief on the matter" Albus told them.

"So that's two definites, any others?" Alastor asked.

"There are a number of students who show promise, who wish to fight for what is right, though I have yet to extend invitations to them" he admitted. Though it wouldn't be fair to make too many assumptions, he highly suspected that Mr's Potter, Black and Lupin wouldn't be opposed to fighting with the Order - they'd singled out Severus for years because they believed him to be 'Dark'. They would surely want to help remove the genuine Death Eaters if they were given the opportunity.

"Does anyone have any other information to add this evening?" Albus asked, glancing around the group, a sea of men and women shaking their heads sadly. "Very well, keep your eyes and ears open, let me know if you hear of anything" he told them. Slowly, the group took their leave, bidding each other goodnight as the room emptied.

Soon, the only ones left in the room were Albus and his brother Aberforth. Aberforth dropped heavily into the seat closest to Albus, placing a glass of Firewhiskey in front of each of them.

"You're putting too much on that boys shoulders, Albus" Aberforth told him bluntly.

"I am left with little choice in the matter" Albus replied.

"The state you pair were in the other week... You could have taken any one of the Order with you, it didn't have to be the boy"

"Perhaps not" Albus conceded. Any could have gone with him to retrieve the Locket, but that would have opened up the possibility of having to reveal what the Locket genuinely was. "I trust Severus" he told him quietly.

"Can he trust you?" Aberforth queried, sipping on the amber liquid.

"I will protect him to the best of my ability, Aberforth" Albus assured him. Aberforth snorted.

"There are whispers, talk among those wishing to join _Him_ "

"Oh?"

"He wants to remove Severus himself, his men are not permitted to touch him"

"No"

"And he'll have to leave Hogwarts soon, he's in his last year isn't he?"

"I have a place ready for them, Miss Evans' parents are already there. The cottage will go under the Fidelius once Severus and Lily join them" he assured him.

"Cottage? Godric's Hollow?" Aberforth asked.

"Mmm. Seemed appropriate" Albus answered. Aberforth nodded. "What else do they say?"

"That he believes Severus is some sort of chosen one. Voldemort believes it completely. Do you believe it?" he asked. Albus sighed, not wishing to answer. "Does Severus believe it?"

"It is enough that Voldemort believes it"

"So that's a 'yes' then" Aberforth stated. Albus didn't answer. "Whether or not he is the chosen one, just don't put too much on his shoulders while you fight your fight, Albus"

"Severus has made entirely his own decisions, Aberforth. I have not ordered, or even asked him, to do anything. He has come to me in this, and I will do all I can to keep him safe"

"Just make sure you do. I'd hate to see another youngster lost" Aberforth said, before gulping down the last of his drink, exiting the room to head back to his bar.

Albus sighed, heading out the room himself, ready to head back up to the castle and get what rest he could, thinking about the unspoken accusation that was left hanging in the air by his brother. Ariana. Her death had effected Aberforth massively, and he still blamed him for it. In all honesty, he blamed himself. For a short time he'd been so blinded by his new friend, so taken in by the good looking exterior and the words he'd spoken, that he'd lost sight of what was real. What was important.

Grindelwald had spoken of a Greater Good - as a means to place magical beings above Muggles in the hierarchy of the world. His own past had blinded him to the full implications of what that truly meant. Until it was too late. Until she was caught in the crossfire as their discussion turned to argument, turned to duel - helped along by Aberforth. And ended with her death.

Grindelwald had fled the country, leaving Albus to pick up the pieces of his life that remained, to live with the guilt of his beliefs, the weight of his choices. He knew that for him, the Greater Good meant every man, woman and child, regardless of magical ability. Wizards were not above Muggles - they were equal. And blood purity was meaningless propaganda that tyrants hid behind when they wanted an excuse to commit atrocities.

Albus knew that to truly make a difference, he must keep away from politics, and keep close to the children, helping to keep them in the Light where he could. And to fight against the Darkness that rose, obliterating the shadows it created in the world. Not for himself. But for all beings. For the Greater Good.


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74

The Easter break had flown by, it seemed as though time was speeding up, the end of the school year approaching swiftly. And Severus couldn't help but dwell on what that might mean for himself and Lily. For the moment, they were outside, attempting to enjoy the last of the peace before the train arrived to bring everyone back to the castle, filling the halls and corridors with incessant prattle.

At least the weather was warming up a little, spring finally in full swing, the arctic chill now missing from the air, instead replaced with a gentle breeze. Severus lay with his head in Lily's lap, behind one of the larger boulders by the Black Lake, eyes closed against the bright sky. Lily sighed contentedly, raking her fingers gently through his hair, both of them relaxed on the calm spring day. Enjoying the illusion while it lasted.

Severus peeked an eye open to glance up at Lily, she was staring out across the lake, seemingly lost in her thoughts.

"Are you ok?" he asked her softly.

"Hmm? Yes, I'm ok" she answered, looking down to meet his gaze.

"You looked far away"

"Just thinking" she said.

"About anything in particular?"

"Not really. Just school and stuff" she shrugged.

"Stuff?"

"Mmm. What about you? What are you thinking about?" she asked him.

"Mainly wondering what time the train will be back" he admitted.

"Do you think he'll have it?" she asked.

"I really hope so. That's the last one" he said with a sigh. If Regulus had managed to get the cup from his little trip to the Lestrange's, then all they had to do was figure out how to open the Locket and they were done. Only Voldemort to go.

"I can't believe how close it seems" she whispered.

"I know. Part of me doesn't want to believe it. I'm waiting for something to go wrong" he said quietly.

"I'm sure it will be fine. You'll figure it out" she said firmly.

"Then we can set a date" he said with a smile.

"Mmm" she mumbled, smiling in return before she glanced back out over the lake. They hadn't talked much about any wedding plans, so far, no date had been set. They had wanted to marry over the summer, before they both began their respective training courses in September, but Dumbledore had reminded them that they would need to notify the Ministry of their intent and the date the ceremony would take place, and with an unknown number of spies it was just too risky. If that information was lodged with the Ministry, they could just find themselves with a number of uninvited guests. Unless they wanted to get married in the Muggle world only, they would just have to wait until the war was over. Neither of them liked having to wait, it was just another part of their lives that the war had control over for the time being, but it didn't mean they loved each other any less. Just another reason to get this war ended, they both deserved to have a normal life after everything they'd been through so far, and everything they both would do before it was finally over.

"Do you want to walk down to the gates? Watch for them coming back? The train should be arriving in Hogsmeade soon" she suggested.

"A walk sounds good. I know we can't go all the way down to Hogsmeade but I don't see why we can't wait at the gates" he agreed, reluctantly pulling himself up, away from his comfortable position. Severus offered Lily his hand, pulling her to her feet before they set off across the grass, back up the hill towards the path.

They didn't talk as they made their way down to the gates, both content to listen to the sounds around them; the breeze rustling through the longer grasses, birds chirping happily. And Marauders laughing madly at each other's antics, but at least they were moving in the opposite direction.

"Hi, Hagrid" Lily greeted as the saw the groundskeeper opening up the gates.

"All right, Lily? What're you two doing down 'ere?" he asked curiously.

"Just thought we'd have a bit of a walk, watch for the others getting back from the train"

"Oh right. Make sure you don't leave the grounds though, won't ya? I don't think the Headmaster would be 'appy if he knew I let you leave" he warned them.

"Don't worry, Hagrid, we won't leave. We just wanted to wait here" she assured him.

"Well, alright then. See ya later" Hagrid said as he left them at the gates, making his way towards the station in Hogsmeade to greet the students.

"Let's sit on the grass" Severus suggested, back to waiting again. He wasn't entirely sure they were making the right decision by waiting here, he likely wouldn't be able to talk to Regulus until sometime this evening, he couldn't start a conversation with him in the open and surrounded by Death Eaters. Severus sighed frustratedly.

"What is it?" Lily asked him.

"Maybe we should just head back up to the castle" he said.

"We can if you want, Sev. Or do you want to keep walking?" she asked him. Obviously she could tell he was getting more anxious again as time went on, closer to getting an answer from Regulus, good news or bad.

"Let's keep walking, I don't think I can sit still" he groaned, hating to admit that. Lily didn't answer, only nodded and got back to her feet as he did the same.

Severus took her hand again, starting to head back up the path when the temperature seemed to suddenly drop. He felt Lily shiver beside him as he glanced up at the sky, expecting to see clouds rolling in, but surprisingly it was still a clear bright blue. Severus gasped as images started playing in his head against his will; his father approaching him with raised fists, the Marauders hexing him, Mudblood being shouted, Lily walking away from him, holding Lily's lifeless body in his arms. Dementors. _Why were there Dementors at the school?_

"Where are they?" Lily asked as they looked around.

"At the gates. They don't seem to be coming any closer" he said, more than a little confused.

"Do you think Dumbledore knows?" she asked as they continued to walk away "What if they're waiting for the students?"

"Why are they away from Azkaban? Dementors are supposed to be controlled by the Ministry, so why would they order Dementors to Hogwarts?" Severus asked.

They had made it half way up the path now, away from the icy feeling that had descended at the gates, the memories that had been pulled forwards had thankfully faded back into the background of his mind. He had no desire to think about any of the things the Dementors had forced him to.

" _Expecto Patronum_ " Severus called as he twirled his wand, a silver doe leaped gracefully from the tip, waiting for its next instructions. "Find Dumbledore, tell him Dementors are at the gates" he told it, watching as the Patronus hurried away to complete its task.

"Do we wait here, or go up to the castle?" Lily asked him, eyes still fixed on the gates.

"I say we wait for Dumbledore to get here, see what he says" Severus told her. Nodding, Lily followed his lead, sitting on the grass with her wand drawn ready, just in cases the Dementors decided to enter the grounds and needed driving back out again. Though he had no idea what they would do if those evil beings headed towards Hogsmeade, he'd be far too tempted to follow - after all, if they headed for the station, Hagrid couldn't protect the younger students, and not all the older students were able to produce a Patronus, and a lot of the ones that could had stayed behind in the castle. Severus really hoped that Dumbledore arrived quickly, before he had to make that decision.

...

"I've told you, Barty, I'm not letting you have access to any of the students" Albus told the man who was pacing in his office.

"Now see here, Dumbledore, you know as well as I, that there is a war going on" Barty Crouch told him, frowning as he spoke.

"I am well aware of that, but I'm still not letting you near my students" he told him yet again. He'd lost count of the number of times he'd said that in the last half hour.

"We have reason to believe that some of the students are wishing to join You-Know-Who once they leave school"

"I have no doubt about that, Barty, but they have not yet left school" Albus pointed out.

"What if some of them are already marked? You would still keep them in your school?" Barty asked with a frown.

"If they are here, they are not out causing trouble" he told him, "Or taking part in Lord Voldemort's attacks"

"There are some I wish to question, Albus"

"And I've already given you an answer. The students are under my protection while here at school, I will not let you question them, or remove them" he stated calmly. "You could have visited any of them you desired while they've been away from Hogwarts for the Easter break" he pointed out.

"Their addresses have been hidden, Albus. How are we supposed to find them when their parents are suspected Death Eaters?" he asked frustratedly.

"Then I suggest you focus your efforts on finding their parents, if they are indeed Death Eaters, instead of attempting to take their children" Albus posed.

"It's not that simple and you know it" Barty argued.

"Nothing is simple, in that you are quite correct. But you would, at the very least, require parents' permission in order to question under age witches and wizards and I doubt you would get it" Albus reasoned.

"And the ones that are of age?" he asked. Albus sighed.

"Then they are able to decide for themselves if they wish to discuss things with you, and I'm fairly certain they would decline your invitation. In any case, as I have already said, I will not let you remove them from this school"

"So you're just going to keep on teaching Death Eaters then?"

"If you have evidence that any of the students are active Death Eaters, if you have a warrant for their arrest, then I will have no choice but to comply" he told him, knowing full well that no warrants would have been issued for his students.

"I expected to have your co operation with this, Albus. Your first priority should be to keep your students safe" Barty snapped.

"That is indeed, my main concern. I do not foresee any problems with the returning students. Of course, I will handle any issues as they arise as I have always done during my tenure. If I require any assistance from Magical Law Enforcement I will not hesitate to contact you" he told him pleasantly, knowing that his lack of temper would be annoying the other man immensely.

Barty opened his mouth to say something else, no doubt to argue his case once more, when a Patronus materialised in the office, a ball of light shifting into the shape of a doe. Severus' Patronus. Albus stood behind his desk as Severus' voice spoke the message _'Dementors are at the gates'_ it stated clearly, before evaporating and fading into nothing.

"Dementors, Barty? Was it really necessary to bring Dementors?" Albus asked with a frown, his patience rapidly waning.

"Had you agreed, I would have taken any marked students to Azkaban - as is the law, if you weren't aware" he said with a glare. "Besides, I left them at the gates"

"Dementors have no business at my school - at the gates or otherwise. Children are on their way back to school, your son included. The train should have arrived in Hogsmeade by now" Albus said, his voice starting to rise.

"They have been ordered to remain at the gates until summoned" Barty said, like the Dementors would truly listen.

Albus marched from his office, Barty following close behind.

"You honestly believe Dementors will remain where they have been ordered to be when they sense several hundred happy souls nearby?" he queried.

"The students are perfectly safe, Albus" Barty shouted as the two moved briskly through the school.

Barty didn't speak again as they strode through the almost empty corridors, for which Albus was grateful, he really wasn't in the mood for any more of the man's orders to let him question the students, or his false promises that they were all safe with a number of Dementors now stationed at the school gates.

Albus moved quickly down the path, Barty trailing behind as he struggled to keep up, clearly the man wasn't expecting the old Headmaster to move so swiftly, but Albus could move fast when it was necessary to do so.

"Mr Snape, Miss Evans" he greeted as he met his students half way down the hill.

"Headmaster" Severus returned, both teenagers standing to meet him, wands still clutched in their hands.

"What happened?" Albus asked.

"We were walking and noticed the Dementors, we were closer to the gates to start with" Severus explained.

"They arrived just after Hagrid left" Lily added. Albus nodded, at least they hadn't been here long, and they hadn't accosted Hagrid on his trek down to Hogsmeade.

"And the two of you are ok?" he asked them.

"We're fine, it was a bit... unpleasant, but we're ok" Severus told him "We decided to wait for you here in case they decided to move on to Hogsmeade"

"You were planning to go after them?" he enquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Not particularly, but if they headed for Hogsmeade it would hardly be fair to leave Hagrid and the children with no protection" Severus argued.

"No. Well, I'm glad you have remained, I do not wish for you to leave the grounds unless there is no alternative" Albus told them, he didn't want them subjected to Dementors for one thing, and he didn't want any of the marked students to be provided with an opportunity to alert Voldemort to the fact that Severus was away from the castle.

"Albus!" Barty called as he approached the small group.

"Don't talk to him unnecessarily" Albus whispered to the two "He's the head of Magical Law Enforcement, and the one who brought the Dementors here today" he added. Severus frowned as he spoke to him. "Ah, Barty, glad you caught up" Albus called with a smile. "Now, perhaps you could join me, if you have such control over these Dementors of yours" he suggested.

"Oh, well, yes" he agreed reluctantly.

"Thank you for your assistance, Mr Snape, Miss Evans, why don't the two of you head back up to the castle, I dare say a bit of chocolate will do you some good" he said to them. The two nodded before turning and heading up the hill and into a safer area, away from both the Dementors and Barty Crouch.

"What exactly do you plan on doing, Albus?" Barty asked as they resumed their walk to the gates.

"I plan on making sure my students get from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts safely" he replied. Barty sighed, obviously not keen to get passed his guards on the school gate. Albus withdrew his wand, producing a shimmering silver light, pushing them aside to pass safely between the two that were stationed.

"I expect you to stay here with your guards, or better yet, send them back to Azkaban before I return" he told Barty with a frown. Albus didn't wait for an answer before Apparating to Hogsmeade station.

The platform was bustling as he appeared, Hagrid was pacing up and down, directing students towards the waiting carriages.

"'Ello, Headmaster, didn't expect to see you 'ere" Hagrid said as he saw him.

"I must confess, I didn't expect to be here myself. Nor did I expect Barty Crouch to place Dementors at our gates" he explained.

"Dementors?"

"Indeed. They arrived shortly after you departed. Mr Snape notified me of their arrival"

"Ah, he's a good lad, 'e is, I reckon" Hagrid said warmly.

"I would agree entirely with that sentiment" he agreed with a smile. Hagrid nodded happily before continuing on with his directions to the children. Albus wandered up and down, paying particular attention to the ones he assumed Barty was interested in questioning. No doubt Regulus Black was on the list, numerous members of his family were confirmed followers of Voldemort, and the boy had already been marked despite his particularly young age.

A few minutes later and the 'Black' in question stepped from the train, the young boys eyes widening in surprise as he made eye contact.

"Headmaster" he nodded politely, recovering his composure.

"Mr Black, might I trouble you for a moment of your time?" he enquired, directing him back onto the train for more privacy. Regulus nodded before retracing his steps, taking a seat back in one of the compartments. "Now, Mr Crouch is at the school gates, though I am hoping he has left by the time we get back"

"Sir?"

"He is interested in questioning any students he suspects are followers of Lord Voldemort, or have taken the mark already"

"But, Sir, can he do that?" Regulus asked fearfully.

"I am certainly doing all I can to prevent it from happening. If he requests an interview, you may decline of course" Albus told him. Regulus nodded, seeming to relax at that point.

"Thank you, Sir. While I've got you here, I have something for you. Well, Snape asked about it, but I assume you're the one he wants it for" Regulus said nervously.

"Oh?" he asked curiously. Regulus grabbed his trunk, removing the wards he'd obviously placed on it, rummaging to the bottom and retrieving a small cloth-wrapped object. Albus took it from the boy, cautiously peeling back the fabric to reveal a small golden cup. The Cup.

"You were successful" Albus whispered.

"Yeah. As far as I know, they have no idea it's gone" Regulus nodded, "I guess it's kind of important"

"It is very useful, Mr Black" Albus smiled.

"And you're not going to tell me why you need it either, are you?" he asked.

"My apologies" he told him.

"It's fine" Regulus shrugged, as Albus fought back the urge to chuckle at the boy.

"Now, I suggest we find you a spot in one of the carriages. If your friends ask about your delay, feel free to tell them about Mr Crouch" he said before exiting the carriage with the young man, hurriedly getting him to the waiting carriages.

Satisfied all was well at this end as the front carriage left towards the castle, Albus Disapparated, arriving at the gates to wait for their arrival. Unfortunately Barty and his Dementors will still guarding the way.

"I believe I suggested they return to Azkaban, Barty" Albus said impatiently. "The children will be back in a matter of minutes"

"I still wish to talk to the students" he stated. Before Albus could protest once again, one of the Dementors came towards him, he pulled out his wand, attempting to keep them back with his Patronus. Though the Dementors didn't seem dissuaded from their choice of target as they kept coming towards him.

"Back to your positions" Barty ordered, using his own wand to try and force them back. But they were undeterred, obviously attracted to Albus for some reason, or some object he now had hidden in his robes. Could they detect the piece of soul housed within the Cup? Was that considered a snack by the two Dementors? If he was going to test his theory, he needed to do it now, before the first carriage arrived. Albus pulled the Cup from his robes, throwing it through the air to the hooded figures. The one closest seemed to fix it in the air, halting its trajectory, a hideous rasping noise emanated from beneath its hood as it removed the fragment of soul the Cup contained. A piercing shriek tore through the air, followed by an explosion of blackened mist that settled around the Cup like a dark cloud, before the Dementor continued its job, sucking the mist into whatever mouth it possessed hidden in its over-sized hood.

The shrieking faded and the now cracked Cup fell to the ground with a 'thud'. The Cup was empty now, the soul had been removed and was no longer of interest to the Dementors.

"Reducto" Albus muttered, aiming his wand at the Cup, ensuring that it was utterly destroyed. The Cup disintegrated into a pile of dust, it was indeed, dead. The Dementors returned to their position at the gates, the interesting morsel now gone.

"What in Merlin's name was _that?_ " Barty asked.

"Nothing of concern, Barty. Now, send the Dementors back to Azkaban" he ordered. "You are not questioning my students today"

"That's your final word?"

"It is" Albus confirmed.

"I will be back" Barty warned.

"I don't doubt it" Albus said sadly, watching as the Dementors now followed their orders to return to their usual place as the Azkaban guards. Thankfully, Barty followed, leaving Hogwarts in peace before the students could arrive back. He had no doubt at all that Barty Crouch would be back at some point, most likely obtaining the backing of the Minister before he did so, but Albus had to try and protect the students from the Ministry's interference if he could. He certainly had a great deal to discuss with Severus - Regulus had managed to bring him the Cup, and he had managed to destroy it. At least the visit by Crouch and his Dementors had been useful for something. Now there was only the Locket remaining.


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75

It was only the first day of classes, but it already felt like it was going to be a long week. Severus was anxiously waiting for an opportunity to talk to Regulus, and everyone was anxious to find out if they would be offered places on the training programmes and apprenticeships they'd applied to. They'd been told they should receive offers by the end of next week. And it was all utterly nerve wracking.

Severus and Lily leaned against the stone wall, side by side as they waited outside the dungeon classroom, glad that they were starting the day with Potions. They'd come down here early, well before anyone else would arrive, in an attempt to obtain a few minutes of privacy before they were surrounded by chattering teenagers again.

Severus glanced around before quietly muttering a _Muffliato,_ the routine for them wherever they happened to be - with the exception of his room - even if it looked as though they were completely alone. They couldn't take the risk of someone overhearing them, whichever side they were in on the war, it could always lead to some snippet of information spreading further among the students.

"Dumbledore said the Cup is destroyed" he said quietly.

"Really? Regulus had it?" she asked, a little stunned at that bit of information.

"Mmm. Dumbledore went to Hogsmeade to make sure Crouch and the Dementors didn't interfere with the carriages reaching the school safely"

"I still can't believe Crouch thought _that_ would be a good idea" she muttered with a frown. As ideas went, Dementors on the school gate was up there, maybe in the top ten of 'worst ideas.'

"Well, he wanted Regulus to know Crouch was after a discussion with him" Severus explained.

"Because he's marked?" Lily asked.

"Mmm. Crouch wants to round up any and all marked Death Eaters and ship them off to Azkaban"

"Hence the Dementors" Lily sighed. Severus nodded.

"And they can't get to them in their parents' homes, so they're trying to tackle them elsewhere"

"Like at school" she added.

"Now obviously, Dumbledore doesn't want to lose Regulus, just in case he can help us in the future - he's already helped us, so who knows?" Severus reasoned. Lily nodded, it made sense, Regulus had been the one to tell them about the cave and the protection it had, and apparently the one to bring them the Cup. He was becoming a rather important piece on Dumbledore's chess board, and they all needed to tread carefully to prevent Voldemort and the Ministry from finding out. It was definitely complicated.

"Anyway," Severus continued "When Dumbledore spoke to him, he gave him the Cup, said I'd mentioned it in passing"

"So he took back to his office and destroyed it?" Lily asked, surprised that he'd done it without Severus.

"Actually, no. When he got back to the gates the Dementors showed a keener interest in him"

"Oh?"

"Dumbledore thinks they could sense the extra bit of soul he was carrying in his robes"

"In the Cup?"

"Exactly. So he tossed it to them and they took care of it" he shrugged.

"The Horcrux was kissed by a Dementor?" she asked, vaguely amused by that possibility.

"Apparently" Severus chuckled. Lily moved to stand in front of him, reaching to wrap her arms around his waist, suddenly wanting to be closer to him. The talk of Horcruxes was always unsettling, even if it had ended well for them. Severus quickly returned the embrace, kissing her forehead as he held her tightly.

"And it's really gone?" she asked him.

"It's really gone" he confirmed as she felt him nodding against her head. "Just the Locket to get rid of" he added. Lily let out a heavy breath as she felt the relief wash over her.

"I still want to talk to Regulus as soon as I can, just in case there is anything else he can tell us" Severus said.

"Makes sense. I guess he would feel more comfortable talking to you than Dumbledore" Lily suggested. Before either of them could say anything else, the sound of footsteps were heard, getting closer to the classroom, other students joining them before class began.

"All right, Evans? Snape?" Potter said as he rounded the corner. Severus groaned, lifting his privacy spell as Lily moved to stand beside him again.

"Morning, Potter" she greeted quietly.

"What're you two doing down here all alone?" Potter teased.

"Waiting for Potions class" Severus answered calmly.

"And we're not alone now, are we?" Lily pointed out as Black quickly joined Potter, followed by their other classmates.

"Well, not anymore" Potter grinned.

"You're not disturbing the love birds again, are you, Prongs?" Black gasped, clutching his friends shoulder dramatically.

"Potter's always disturbing" Lily teased with a smirk.

"You wound me, Evans" Potter said with mock offence. Lily laughed at the boys, glancing up to see Severus rolling his eyes at their over the top display. Lily laughed again, shaking her head.

"Good morning, everyone" Slughorn's voice suddenly boomed out as the classroom door was pulled open, "Come in, come in, won't you?" he said as he disappeared back inside the dark room, the awaiting students quickly filed in to take their usual seats.

"Everybody in?" Slughorn asked as he glanced around the room. "Excellent" he beamed, clapping his hands together "A fun project for you all today - an Elixir to Induce Euphoria" he told them happily. "You'll find the instructions in your text books, the supply cabinet is unlocked, so, off you go" he instructed, standing back as students started bustling around.

Severus quickly flipped to the relevant page, Lily wasn't surprised to see his tiny writing alongside the official instructions, this was obviously one of the potions he'd tweaked in his experiments - not surprising considering it called for Sopophorous beans, she knew how he felt about juicing those, she also knew he was right and would happily work to his notes rather than the text book.

Lily gathered up the supplies, all fairly standard things for them today - the Sopophorous beans, porcupine quills, wormwood and shrivelfig. And of course a sprig of peppermint as Severus' notes suggested. Lily placed them all on their desk, beginning the task of peeling the shrivelfig while Severus worked at the cauldron.

"I got a letter from Mum this morning" he whispered, she'd barely heard him over the noise of the others all working and chatting happily.

"Is she ok?" she asked quietly.

"I think so. Molly gave birth to the twins on Saturday" he told her.

"I bet the Burrow's even more hectic now, then" Lily said with a smile.

"That's one way of putting it" he smirked, "She's looking forward to summer, in any case"

"Oh?"

"She'll be moving into the cottage when we go"

"Oh. How come she's not there already?" she asked him.

"A few reasons I think. She needed to get used to being in the wizarding world again, gain confidence with her wand for starters. And I think she would feel in the way if it was just her and your parents"

"Third wheel?"

"Mmm. Well, she wants to join us anyway. Is that ok?" he asked nervously.

"Of course it is. It might take a bit of getting used to, the five of us in one house. But it will be safer that way" she said.

"Well, it won't be forever. Only until the war ends" he told her.

"It's fine, Sev" she smiled. And it would be. As long as they could live alone when they were married, then that was fine. Until then, they would do whatever they needed to, to win the war.

"How many bedrooms does the cottage have?" he asked.

"Erm, three, I think" she told him. "Oh, I guess that means we'll be sharing a room then" she told him with a cheeky grin.

"Mmm, unless your parents insist that I sleep on the sofa" he told her.

"Not gonna happen" she laughed as she handed him the peeled shrivelfig.

"Well, I guess that's something to look forward to then" he laughed. Yes, sharing a room was definitely something positive to look forward to when school was finished. Though, every day could be spent in fear, waiting for the order to attack Voldemort. Or waiting for the day that Voldemort finally tracked Severus down and turned up on their doorstep.

They had no idea how long the war would last, but considering Severus only had one Horcrux left to destroy, surely the final reckoning would happen soon, one way or another. It had to end. She desperately hoped they would be on the winning side, and that they would both survive.

...

Severus paced in the abandoned classroom, waiting for Regulus to join him again. Really, he was thankful they'd been able to arrange a meeting so soon after school had resumed - though he suspected that they'd have met sooner if Regulus had still been in possession of the Cup. But then again, the Cup had now been destroyed, leaving them with just the Locket to get rid of. It was all swings and roundabouts really.

It wasn't long before the door opened quietly before Regulus' face peered cautiously around the edge. Severus nodded to him as he entered the room, quickly locking and casting privacy spells once the door was closed.

"Dumbledore told you?" Regulus began, neither of them bothering with idle pleasantries.

"He said you got it" Severus confirmed with a nod.

"Good. It wasn't especially hidden, it was in a little used private library of Bella's. I doubt anyone goes in there too often"

"And you left a replica?" Severus asked.

"Yes. Hopefully no one pays close attention to it"

"Well, if they do there shouldn't be any way to link its disappearance to you" Severus pointed out, though he really hoped its absence wasn't noticed - a Horcrux missing would be a bit of a giveaway if nothing else had been taken, it would be hard to pass it off as a sticky fingered Death Eater pilfering from the Lestrange's. Never mind the fact that you'd be insane to do something to Bellatrix, she'd kill first and ask questions later - if she bothered to ask questions anyway.

"No. There were a lot of people there that night, including new recruits. Bella would be more likely to blame one of them than her favourite cousin" he said, shaking his head and looking vaguely disturbed by his own assessment.

"New recruits?" Severus asked.

"Mmm. I don't know who two of them are, I know their faces but not their names" Regulus said.

"There were more of them?"

"Two others, both still students, neither of them too surprising - well, Avery isn't surprising"

"No, he was as eager to join as Rosier and Mulciber, always been part of that little gang" Severus agreed. "What about the other one?"

"Not surprising, given his recent interests; surprising because he's pathetic"

"Pettigrew" Severus stated. It wasn't even a question.

"Pettigrew" Regulus nodded "Apparently it was a reward for obtaining your details, your address, though I still have no idea how he did it" he admitted.

"Oh, I have an idea" Severus muttered darkly. _Filthy rat._

"The Dark Lord wants him to find another address now, to continue to prove his loyalty"

"Another address?" Severus asked, a sinking feeling creeping over him as he listened.

"I'm sure you can take a guess at whose address he wants"

"Lily's" Severus whispered. Regulus nodded. "So, he's going back into McGonagall's office, then?"

"Probably soon, the Dark Lord wants to pay her parents a visit as soon as possible. My guess is he'll try at the weekend" Regulus told him.

"Right" Severus said, exhaling heavily.

"If I find out anything else I'll let you know, but he's being pretty secretive about it, thinks that everyone else is out to steal his glory" Regulus said, rolling his eyes.

"Cause Death Eaters would never stab each other in the back, would they?" Severus retorted sarcastically. Regulus snorted. Of course they would, they'd do whatever they could to improve their own standing, fighting each other and stealing another's credit. Anything to elevate their name and gain the attention of their Master.

"So it was a fun party, then?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Simply stunning" Regulus laughed, "If brainless morons hexing each other, then drinking themselves into oblivion counts as a party"

"Hmm, I'm glad I never got an invite" Severus smirked.

"You'd have made life easier for yourself if you'd joined when you had the chance though"

"No. I would have lost everything, anything that mattered anyway. Nothing's worth that. It's not like you're making things easy for yourself either" Severus pointed out.

"Perhaps not. But it is the right thing" he said confidently.

"And that makes it all worth it, however difficult the road may be to get there" Severus replied, feeling a little odd discussing these kind of things with someone other than Lily or Dumbledore. But it wasn't necessarily bad, and if it kept Regulus morally on the right side of the fight, it was something else that was worth doing. Not that he planned on leading any philosophical discussions with anyone else.

"I should get going" Regulus said as the silence stretched on. Severus only nodded, lifting his wand to remove the privacy spells and unlock the door, watching as Regulus left without another word or a backward glance.

Severus sat on one of the desks in the old room, waiting for Regulus to get far enough away from the classroom that no one would suspect them meeting, and thinking about what the boy had told him.

There were now two fake items in the homes of high ranking Death Eaters, both manors that Voldemort visited fairly often. If he happened to examine either of those items it would certainly complicate matters, but ultimately they hadn't had a choice. They had to take that gamble at some point. The real items had to be destroyed if they wanted any chance of winning the war. Phase one was almost complete, soon, it would be time to move on to phase two.

Four more followers had been inducted into his ranks, despite the Ministry's tougher stance, wizards were still flocking to Voldemort's side. He wasn't surprised about either Avery or Pettigrew - based on the memories he'd received it had only been a matter of time until it happened. He'd already learned that not everything could be changed, and some things were happening sooner than in the other future - like Regulus' change of conscience.

Severus also wasn't surprised that Pettigrew would be attempting to obtain Lily's address, they'd suspected it would happen at some point, especially after Spinner's End being targeted. He'd never been more thankful that Mr and Mrs Evans finally agreed to go into hiding, even if the safe house seemed strangely familiar. No, the Dark Lord wouldn't be able to get to Lily's parents just yet, but perhaps Dumbledore could have a little surprise waiting for the freshly marked idiot this coming weekend. Maybe a Death Eater breaking into the Deputy Headmistress' office to steal student records would pose too much of a security risk. With any luck, once caught in the act, Dumbledore would expel the dirty little sneak, if not have him sent to Azkaban - after all, that was the punishment for being branded as one of His, and Pettigrew was legally an adult now, he should have to answer for his crimes. Plus, a part of Severus also wanted justice for the other Lily - he'd been responsible for the events leading to her murder. True, he hadn't committed that particular sin in this life, but he was clearly building towards bigger things as it was, darker things. He was already lost. It was too late for Pettigrew to come back to the light, his blasted friends had tried to keep him close since they arrived at Hogwarts. He would betray them, if it meant saving his own skin. At least _these_ Marauders knew that, they'd seen it for themselves. All Severus could think about when he finally left the room, was how on Earth did Peter Pettigrew get himself sorted into Gryffindor?

...

Albus waited patiently in Minerva's office, the wards dropped tonight to allow him to move around freely. He concealed himself in a corner, heavily disillusioned as he kept watch, he didn't want the boy to spot him before he could be apprehended.

There was a small part of Albus that had wanted to simply remove Pettigrew immediately when Severus told him what his orders from Voldemort were, though it was a very small part indeed. He knew he needed to wait for him to actually _do_ something before he was removed - he wouldn't break his own rules, regardless of who it was. Regardless of whether or not he was marked. All they had to do was wait patiently, and catch him in the act.

Albus was curious as to whether Severus' theory had been correct, it was certainly one that made sense. The protective wards didn't generally recognise rats, otherwise they would be needlessly triggered by the ordinary rodents scurrying about, most likely to keep themselves out of the way of the number of cats prowling the castle.

Thinking of cats, Albus glanced at Minerva, hidden beneath the desk in the shadows, all he could really see was the faint glow of her eyes while she was in her Animagus form. Minerva had volunteered to place herself close to the cabinet, as a cat, to pounce if it became necessary to do so, using those fast reflexes to their advantage, and using her size and agility to block his escape should he attempt to head back to the hole he'd crept through.

Albus fought the urge to move around as time ticked on, not wanting to alert the boy to their presence should he happen to be nearby, and hoping that tonight would be the night. He would ensure Pettigrew didn't gain access to Lily's address, though he'd very much prefer not to stand here all night in the dark, tonight and however many more nights it took for him to make his move. It would have made things simpler if Regulus had been able to give them a date and time for certain, but he couldn't ask too many questions and arouse suspicions - especially if this was a task given by Voldemort himself. If Pettigrew shared his plans with Regulus and was then thwarted, it would be far too easy for doubts to be cast towards Regulus, and Albus did not want to place him in any greater danger than he already was. And even if Pettigrew had told Regulus anything, there would have been no guarantees that he would have told him the truth, he could have given him a false plan if he was paranoid enough, and he no doubt was.

Shortly after 1am, Albus heard a faint scrabbling noise coming from the base of the wall. A mouse? A rat? _An Animagus?_ Albus clutched his wand carefully, checking he was still disillusioned, keeping himself still, as silent as possible as they waited. No doubt Minerva was poised, ears tuned to the location the noise came from. A moment later, a brown rat crept into the room, looking around cautiously, its behaviour not quite in keeping with a regular rodent. Albus watched as the rat made its way to the filing cabinet with hurried steps from its little legs, keeping his eyes trained on the 'creature' as it fought to push open the bottom drawer. Albus shook his head in disbelief, he certainly was resourceful. He stared as the rat positioned a wooden ruler against the now open drawer, creating itself a little ramp to climb in among the files. No doubt this was what the boy had done to obtain Severus' address.

Evidently, Minerva had seen enough of Pettigrew's antics, clearly annoyed by his disrespect for her office. Albus could see she'd crept forwards, keeping herself low to the ground as she approached. Pettigrew was immersed in his activities and hadn't noticed a thing as he'd climbed into the drawer. His scurrying became more frantic as he hunted out the details. Or at least, attempted to. Albus had already had the file removed from the drawer - Mr and Mrs Evans may no longer be in that house but there was no reason to let Voldemort get that bit of information. At least keeping that address a secret would allow them to move back there more safely once the war was over, they could find themselves a target of any Death Eaters or supporters that managed to evade Azkaban. But they'd worry about that later.

Albus heard a panicked 'squeak' come from the rat in the drawer, no doubt realising that he wouldn't be finding Lily Evans' record in there tonight. Minerva made a low noise in her throat, a warning noise as the rat appeared back on the ramp, pausing as still as a statue when he locked eyes with the waiting 'cat'. Albus took a step towards them both, ready to end this now. Pettigrew attempted to run down the ramp, obviously believing he could get back to the safety of the tiny mouse hole, but Minerva was much faster. There was a blur of fur and the cat had the rat pinned to the floor beneath her front paws. The rat squirmed and squeaked as it attempted to wriggle its way free.

"Really, Mr Pettigrew, do you believe that's going to work?" Albus asked curiously as he towered over them, dropping the disillusionment spell, lighting some of the wall lamps with a casual flick of his wand. The rat visibly deflated with the realisation he was truly caught, and still tightly pinned by the cat. "I suggest you change yourself back now" Albus said levelly. The rat almost nodded, before shifting, Minerva retreated as Pettigrew became a boy once more, lying on his back on the office floor staring up at the Headmaster.

"Please don't hurt me!" Pettigrew whimpered, before gasping as Minerva shifted into her usual human self.

"Honestly, Mr Pettigrew, when has anyone ever hurt you at this school?" she huffed, clearly offended by his insinuations.

"Professor McGonagall! I.. well.. " the boy trailed off into sniffles, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

"Charming" Minerva muttered, transfiguring a piece of parchment into a handkerchief before handing it to the boy. Pettigrew accepted it with a nod, wiping his nose again as he sat up.

"I think we have much to discuss" Albus said simply.

"Sir?" he asked.

"Such as why you felt the need to break into Professor McGonagall's office tonight, for a second time"

"I don't know what you're talking about" he whispered hurriedly, his cheeks colouring.

"Of course you do. Another job you've been asked to do by Lord Voldemort" Albus stated. Pettigrew visibly cringed, but he didn't reply. "Now, I think we shall head on up to my office and see if we can get hold of Magical Law Enforcement, though at this hour -"

"Law Enforcement?" Pettigrew interrupted with wide eyes.

"Well, yes. I can't have marked Death Eaters breaking into offices of Voldemort's orders. I have a castle full of students to protect"

"Death Eaters?" he whispered.

"You are marked, are you not?"

"There are other students marked" he protested.

"True, but they are not the ones breaking into areas of the castle they shouldn't be" Albus pointed out.

"But that's not fair!" Pettigrew yelped as he scrambled to his feet.

"Oh? Would you care to explain" Albus asked him. Unsurprisingly, Pettigrew said nothing. "I thought not. You are aware of the Ministry's punishment for wearing His mark?"

"No... no.." he whispered, shaking his head in denial. No doubt the enormity of the situation sinking in.

"In this instance, I have little choice but to call in an Auror. I am sorry it's come to that, but you have made your own choices, now it is time to answer for that" Albus said sadly.

Pettigrew's head was hung low, his shoulders slumped now, no point in attempting to escape while under the watchful eyes and wands of both himself and Minerva. Albus led the way to his office, Minerva at the rear, keeping Pettigrew in the middle. He wasn't sure exactly who he would reach in the Auror department tonight, though there was always someone there. He really hoped that this didn't give the Ministry more of a reason to investigate other students at Hogwarts, or for Barty to make a return trip with his Dementors.


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Lily heard Severus give an exasperated sigh as another student came far too close to their table in the library for his liking. She stifled the urge to giggle, knowing full well it wouldn't help his mood, instead focusing intently on the transfiguration text book in front of her on the table. Lily risked a glance up at him once she was certain her amusement had faded, seeing his dark head bent low over his own book, his quill moving swiftly across his parchment as he jotted down notes.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Just making notes" he replied, not stopping his note taking for a second as he flipped to another page of the book.

"I can see that" she said, rolling her eyes. He sighed again then, looking up to meet her gaze. "We're supposed to be working on Transfiguration, and that's a Charms text - an old one by the looks of it" she pointed out.

"Just looking for something that might help with _opening_ something" he said quietly.

"Why didn't you say something, I could have helped"

"I know, but you've helped me enough as it is, I don't want to take your time away when you have study plans" he said. Lily sighed gently. "No, I know what you're going to say" he continued before she could protest, "But we've been going round in circles for weeks and it's... frustrating" he admitted.

"I know it is, which is why you should let me help" she told him gently.

"I've already driven myself half mad with all this, I don't want to drive you mad as well" he argued.

"Maybe we should go for a walk, get some fresh air" she suggested, "It's a beautiful day outside, let's go out there"

"But revision... research... " he argued.

"We can take a couple of books with us" she told him, "Maybe you're just too close to this right now"

"I just want this over with" he said quietly, rubbing his forehead.

"I know. Come on" she ordered, gathering up the books; some she returned to the shelves, others she checked out with Madam Pince, placing them carefully in her bag.

Once out the library, Lily reached for his hand, giving his fingers a squeeze as they made their way through the Castle and out through the main doors, continuing in a companionable silence as they found themselves wandering in the direction of the willow tree.

Lily parted the curtain of leaves, ducking underneath to reach their sanctuary. As soon as the branches had hidden them with a 'swish', Severus' arms were around her, pulling her into a tight embrace, one that she quickly returned after dropping her bag onto the soft grass.

For a while, she didn't think he had any intentions of releasing her any time soon, not that she was complaining. It was nice, just being held, feeling his arms around her, his breath tickling her ear as he leaned against her, his familiar scent in her nostrils as she buried her nose against his neck. It was all so familiar and comforting, and she didn't want it to end.

Eventually, he pulled away from her, meeting her eyes as she looked up at him, their faces suddenly so close together. Her eyes fluttered closed almost involuntarily as his lips met hers, his hand slipping into her hair as he kissed her, drawing her back to him, her own hands gripping him even tighter, never wanting to let him go. They'd kissed countless times in the almost two years that they'd been a couple, but there was still a part of her that was amazed at how each time felt like the first, the combination of love and passion they shared leaving her light headed, her heart fluttering in her chest. It still felt like a dream, that her best friend - _her Sev -_ could love her so much. He was so devoted to her, she could feel it in the way he looked at her, held her, and kissed her. She hoped he knew she felt the same about him. There was nothing she wouldn't do for him.

Logically, she knew he _did_ know that, that's why he'd been so annoyed about Trelawney and her ramblings about the snake. That Lily would protect Severus. Damn right she would, however many times she needed to, and from whoever she needed to. He was hers, just as much as she was his.

Lily sighed as he broke the kiss, smiling up at him as his thumb lingered on her cheek, stroking softly.

"Better?" she asked, smiling mischievously at him.

"Mmm" he acknowledged, giving her a small smile in return before pressing a chaste kiss to her lips and releasing her, settling himself down at the base of the tree. "I just don't know how I'm going to open it though" he said quietly.

"I thought you were going to have a break from that" she said as she sat by his side, leaning herself against him.

"Sorry, Lily" he sighed.

"Don't be sorry, Sev" she told him, reaching to place her hand on his thigh. "I know how important this is. So, what have you tried so far?" she asked, if he couldn't take a break from it, they should just discuss it all and see if they could brainstorm a solution to the problem together.

Severus withdrew his wand, muttering a _Muffliato_ before continuing.

"We need to open it, the dagger didn't work, as you know. We've tried every unlocking spell I know, and the ones Dumbledore knows. No destructive spells work against it - fire, explosions, tearing, crushing, slicing - nothing works. At least while it's closed" he said frustratedly.

"So you were looking at Charms based on older magic to open it?" she asked.

"Spells tend to fade into obscurity, especially with the creation of new ones that might be better suited to a job. I was thinking maybe 'he' would have used old magic to protect it" he said quietly.

"It is possible. But what about Fiendfyre? Dumbledore used it before, hasn't he tried it?"

"No. I don't think it will work anyway, not while it's locked tight. Plus, he can't safely use Fiendfyre in the school or on the grounds while it's full of students - he only used it before because it was the middle of summer" he pointed out.

"Hmm, that does make it a bit trickier" she agreed.

"And he doesn't want to take it away from Hogwarts to do it and risk someone finding out. Or to be effected by the Locket" he added.

"That makes sense" she sighed, closing her eyes as he leaned his head against hers. "How was it destroyed before?" she asked quietly.

"Before?" he asked, sounding confused.

"In the memories" she prompted.

"Oh, the Weasley boy destroyed it with the sword of Gryffindor"

"Which we don't have" she said sadly. Severus suddenly let out an annoyed groan, "What's the matter?" she asked, startled as he started to get to his feet.

"I am such an idiot" he mumbled.

"What? No you're not" she argued, quickly standing too.

"He destroyed it with the sword, _after_ Potter opened it - using Parseltongue" he told her.

"Parseltongue?" she asked, eyes widening.

"You are brilliant" he told her with a smile, cupping her face with both hands as he kissed her again.

"Right, thanks" she said, blushing at his praise "I don't quite see how you got to that conclusion though"

Severus grabbed her hand then, dragging her back towards the curtain of leaves, barely giving her time to reach for her bag as his eagerness took over. Lily ducked her head as he pulled the branches aside, the two of them walking quickly back up the hill.

"You said I was thinking about this wrong, we've been trying to come up with ways to open it, or blow it up, and we already had the answers. We could have got rid of it a couple of weeks ago" he muttered, though he didn't seem frustrated anymore, he seemed excited now that he had an option to pursue. They could get rid of it this afternoon it her was right. If...

"Don't you need to be able to speak Parseltongue though?" she asked him, not entirely sure how being a Parselmouth worked. Voldemort was obviously one, and in the other future, the son she'd had with Potter apparently was as well. She'd never heard of any others. Maybe there weren't any. Or maybe there were and the stigma associated with that particular skill was enough for people to keep that ability to themselves. Either way, it's not like the Headmaster could make a casual announcement at dinner, requesting the assistance of a Parselmouth. Best case scenario would be that everyone would think Dumbledore had lost his marbles.

"To just speak it, yes. But we have the memory, if we view it in the Pensieve maybe we'll be able to copy it closely enough to get the Locket to open" he said hopefully.

"I hope you're right" she told him as they walked back in through the main doors.

"Me too" he admitted, squeezing her fingers gently.

"Well, let's get up there and give it a go" she told him. Severus stopped walking then, and turned to face her.

"You'll be with me?" he asked nervously.

"Always, Sev" she assured him, meaning it completely. He gave her a small nod, reassured that she would face whatever the Locket would do, by his side. She wouldn't let him face this alone, the Locket was going to put up a fight. But then, she had no intentions of ever letting him face anything alone.

...

Severus strode swiftly through the Castle, keeping Lily's hand clasped tightly in his own. His heart was pounding furiously as he ran through the memory in his head. _How could he have overlooked it until now?_ He wanted to kick himself for forgetting that memory, his whole life had been driven by the memories for almost two years, he'd had the answer to the Locket's destruction all along. At least they'd only had the Locket for a few weeks, that was some small consolation at least.

He was also relieved that Lily was coming with him to face the Locket, just holding it had affected him, made him doubt his abilities, doubt his true nature, doubt that Lily truly loved him. Surely she was only with him out of pity. Or because she thought it was necessary to end the war, it was only a matter of time before she ran off with Potter. Logically, he knew that was all entirely false - she did love him, with all her heart and soul, and he was worthy of being loved. He was doing everything in his power to be a better man than the Severus in the memories had been at this time, and he would continue to do exactly that. He wanted Lily to be proud of him, proud to have him as her husband, to have a family with him. He didn't want the rest of the world looking at her with pity if they deemed him 'not good enough'.

Severus still had to face the Locket again though, up close and personal, and it would fight even harder to prevent its own destruction - he'd seen in the memory that it would tease and torment, using the insecurities of its assailant against them. And that bothered him. A small part of him hoped, wished, that Dumbledore could handle it without him, or get another to assist in its destruction. But Severus wasn't a coward, he would face it and he wouldn't stop fighting until it was gone. Then there would be no more Horcruxes, nothing else to keep that last remnant of Voldemort's soul anchored here if his body was destroyed. He wouldn't be able to return. Once the war was over, when Voldemort was dead, it would be final.

"Liquorice wands" Severus snapped at the stone gargoyle, waiting impatiently for it to reveal the spiral staircase. He led Lily onto the step, quickly arriving at Dumbledore's office door, the Headmaster's voice beckoning them inside.

"Ah, good afternoon Severus, Lily" Dumbledore greeted them with a pleasant smile. "What can I do for you both today?" he enquired.

"I think we've figured out how to open the Locket" he said quietly.

"Oh? Do tell" Dumbledore said, leaning back in his chair.

"Parseltongue" he told him.

"Parseltongue?" the Headmaster echoed, Fawkes giving a soft squawk as he ruffled his feathers. "I believe Fawkes is in agreement" Dumbledore added with a smile. "Most interesting. So, what brought you to that conclusion?"

"Lily asked me how it was destroyed before, in the memories" Severus said.

"I see"

"What I don't quite understand is _why_ didn't I think of that before? It's so obvious now, but it didn't really register before" Severus explained, it concerned him slightly if he was honest, it wasn't like the memory was 'missing', just harder to recall, harder to think about. Dumbledore sighed before he began.

"Memories are complex things, as I'm sure you've realised thanks to your experiences," Severus nodded as the Headmaster continued, "Your studies into both Occlumency and Legilimency only adding to your understanding of just how complex, not only memories are, but also the mind and our way of processing them"

"Yes, Sir" he answered, not entirely sure where the conversation was heading. Dumbledore stood, walking around the desk towards the memory cabinet, peering carefully at the tiny labelled vials until he found the one he was looking for, returning to the desk with that and the Pensieve.

"Now, you are rather familiar with the Pensieve, and the concept with removing a memory from your mind in order to view it separately" Severus nodded again, "This is the memory you are referring to today, the destruction of the Locket" Dumbledore said as he lifted the tiny bottle. "It has not been returned to you, as you gave me permission to keep hold of it"

"So, the memory doesn't exist in my head anymore?" Severus asked with a frown. Dumbledore gave a soft chuckle.

"It's a little more complicated than that. You _have_ been able to recall the memory once prompted to do so, to _really_ think about it, so it still exists in your mind in some form" he explained.

"In some form?"

"More like a shadow, an echo, weaker and more buried in your sub-conscience"

"So, no longer something that immediately jumps into my thoughts" Severus said.

"Precisely. You've had to dig into your own mind to recall the details, but once your conscious mind has grabbed onto it, it's pulled it to the front"

"Sounds like a filing cabinet" Lily said softly. Severus snorted.

"It is rather, albeit a rather complex one" Dumbledore smiled. It was a relief hearing the explanation, he wasn't an 'idiot' after all, or losing his mind, his brain only had a faint imprint of the original memory now - given the fact that Dumbledore was holding the original in his hands.

"So, can memories be returned then?" Severus asked.

"Indeed they can. Some of the other memories we have viewed together since in the Pensieve, making them easier to recollect. This particular memory reached you some time ago, and you have not viewed it since. Do you wish to have these memories replaced?"

"Not especially" he shrugged. He did still get glimpses in his dreams, but only flashes of the memories Dumbledore had kept - he didn't get the full emotional impact from them, and he would prefer to keep it that way. Of course, there were a few memories he hadn't shared with Dumbledore, that hadn't been relevant to their quest to bring down Voldemort. Or they were just too personal to share, he was just too vulnerable and couldn't bear it if anyone saw him in such a state.

"Very well" Dumbledore smiled, "I believe we will need a refresher of the phrase in Parseltongue, I shall open the Locket if you can stab it" he said.

"I can stab it" Severus said firmly. He wanted to, he _needed_ to. He wanted to prove to himself that he was capable of taking on a piece of Voldemort and winning - and aside from Voldemort himself, this was the piece that was going to fight the hardest. Dumbledore nodded, retrieving the dagger from the desk drawer, handing it over to him. Severus took it, holding it confidently, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart as Dumbledore went to the dresser, removing the wards on a small wooden chest, placing the box on the desk beside the Pensieve.

"You might want to move the Pensieve, Sir" Severus suggested, the Pensieve would either get damaged or destroyed if the confrontation happened there. Dumbledore nodded, levitating the stone basin back to the cabinet before pouring the silvery memory into the bowl.

"Do not touch that box, either of you" Dumbledore told them, before plunging his face into the Pensieve.

"You should stand as far back as you can, Lily" Severus told her, "It's not going to be pleasant" he added in a whisper.

"I know, but I'm here, Sev. If you need me, I'm here" she assured him, tip toeing to brush a soft kiss to his lips. That simple action calming his thoughts more than he thought possible. She would be there, he didn't have to be alone. Despite the circumstances he smiled, staring into those beautiful eyes for what felt like an eternity, where nothing else seemed to matter. Lily returned his smile, her hand reaching to touch his cheek for a moment before she stepped away, moving to the furthest part of the room. The office was silent, aside from the occasional fluffing of feathers from Fawkes, the Phoenix clearly in his prime, his plumage a vivid combination of scarlet and gold.

Suddenly, Dumbledore was lifting his face out of the basin and turning to face the desk. Severus watched as the Headmaster lifted his wand, levitating the Locket out of the tiny chest, lowering it onto the desk. Dumbledore met his eyes, the usual twinkle absent. Severus nodded, he was ready, more determined than he thought possible, gripping the dagger firmly in his hand as Dumbledore hissed at it.

There was a split second of silence before it opened with a 'click'. Severus saw the Headmaster lunge quickly to grab hold of the twitching Locket as two dark eyes peered out from the windows usually reserved for treasured photographs. At first, Severus thought the dark eyes searching for him were a reflection of his own, until he stepped closer, noticing they weren't quite as dark as his. They were the eyes of Tom Riddle, handsome and menacing and looking for his would-be destroyer. They were looking for him.

"Stab it!" Dumbledore said firmly. Severus felt his breaths coming in shallow pants as his fingers twitched on the dagger's hilt. "Now!" the Headmaster instructed.

" _Join me now. I see what you desire"_ the eerie voice whispered from the Locket. Severus tried to focus on the weapon in his hands, willing himself to 'end this now'.

" _Come to my side, Severus Snape, you will be rewarded for your loyalty"_ the voice continued. Severus clenched his teeth, shaking his head.

"Stab it now!" Dumbledore ordered. He was trying, he needed to do it. He had to get rid of this last piece of the monster who would destroy everything he loved.

" _Abused for too many years by your filthy muggle father, ignored by your mother, tormented by your peers - you are nothing without me"_ the voice told him. " _You desire revenge over those who would keep you in the gutter"_ it said. He shook his head, he didn't want revenge, he didn't need it, not anymore. He was a better man now.

" _You are worthless, Severus Snape, pathetic. I can change all of that for you. I can make you great. Do you really think the girl will stay by your side? Pity keeps her chained to you for the moment, but it's only a matter of time before she leaves you for another"_ the voice tormented.

"Severus! You need to stab it now!" Dumbledore practically shouted, letting out a small hiss of pain as he let go of the Locket, recoiling like he'd been burned. Severus' knuckles whitened as he gripped the dagger even tighter, he knew the voice was whispering lies, his biggest fears - _he wouldn't be able to change everything._ Severus' eyes widened as a figure started to emerge from each window of the Locket, from each of the Riddle-eyes that had been searching his own.

The figure on the right, an approximation of Lily, her red hair whipping around her like a fiery cape, her eyes cold and looking at him like he was an absolute idiot. _Which he was._ The figure on the left came as no surprise. James Potter. Smug and arrogant, and looking down on him like he was dirt.

"Do you honestly think she'll stay with you, when she could have me?" the Riddle-Potter smirked.

"Why would I stay with a pathetic coward, when I could run away with James Potter?" the Riddle-Lily asked curiously, "Did you honestly believe I would marry you?"

"What do you think she spends her evenings doing? It's awfully cosy in the Gryffindor common room" Riddle-Potter told him, grinning in his face, reaching to lace his fingers with Lily's. Severus shook his head, it wasn't true, it wasn't. The Riddle-Lily laughed, before turning and wrapping her arms around the Riddle-Potter's neck, pulling him towards her waiting kiss.

"It's not real, Sev" Lily's voice suddenly came from behind him, "This is what Voldemort wants, he's trying to stop you destroying it" she said calmly.

"Lily..." Severus whispered, his voice almost cracking.

"Stab it, Severus. You can do it" Lily assured him, her hand resting lightly on his back. With that touch, the Locket's hold seemed to lessen, only slightly, but enough for him to lunge forwards, piercing the windows with one swift stab of the dagger in his hand.

The Locket seemed to explode, like the Diadem had done, the hideous tormenting figures dissolving into a heavy black mist, a piercing shriek tore through the air with such force and venom that they were all thrown to the floor.

And then. Silence.

Severus pushed himself up to his knees, letting the dagger drop to the floor as he buried his face in his hands, desperately trying to stop himself from sobbing even though it was futile. Lily's arms were suddenly around him, pulling him close to her as she knelt in front of him. Severus clung on to her tightly, terrified of breaking the physical contact as he rested his chin on her shoulder, their cheeks pressed close as she murmured softly in his ear. He felt her rubbing his back with one hand, as she gently stroked his hair with the other, as he continued to sob.

"It's all right, Sev" she whispered. Severus only held her more tightly, not trusting himself to speak for the moment. "I knew you could do it, my love" she told him.

Finally, he managed to calm his breathing as the tears subsided, though he felt like an absolute idiot, and highly uncomfortable with the fact that Dumbledore had witnessed his meltdown. He pulled himself away from Lily's embrace, meeting her eyes as he did, hating himself that he was searching for signs of loathing or pity in the face he loved so dearly. All he found there was love. He knew in that instant that Lily would never leave him, not for Potter, not for anyone. She wasn't with him because she pitied him. She was with him because she loved him. She _chose_ him.

She was his, and he was hers. Always.

"I am so proud of you" she whispered, her eyes shining as she stroked his cheek. Severus shook his head, he wished he'd been able to fight the Locket sooner.

"I love you, Lily, so much" he finally spoke, his voice quiet. The smile that spread across her face almost took his breath away.

"I love you too, Sev" she told him sincerely, leaning closer to brush her lips against his.

"Excellent" Dumbledore suddenly spoke, jarring the two apart. Severus couldn't help but smile at the blush that tinged her cheeks, clashing with her fiery hair.

"Sorry, Sir" she whispered, quickly rising to her feet, pulling him up with her.

"No apologies necessary, Miss Evans. Young love is indeed a splendid thing. I'm sure Severus feels much better now" Dumbledore said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"I feel better now that's destroyed" Severus admitted, gesturing towards the remains on Dumbledore's desk.

"So, that's all the pieces gone now?" Lily asked.

"Yes, that's all the pieces gone" Dumbledore confirmed.

"So what happens next?" Severus asked, there had to be a plan.

"Well, I believe after that ordeal you will need to rest, Severus. Taking on a piece of Lord Voldemort's soul is no easy task, this particular piece was most tenacious" Dumbledore said.

"Rest?" Severus asked.

"Yes, it will do you both good to find somewhere quiet to recuperate for the rest of the day"

"And then what? What's the plan?"

"Patience, Severus" Dumbledore told him. Severus sighed, _bloody patience, yet again._ "We shall discuss our next steps tomorrow, when you have recovered from today a little" he said gently.

"Yes, Sir" Severus nodded, there was no point in fighting it, the stubborn old Headmaster would not tell him anything until he was ready to do so. And there was no denying the fact that he was exhausted after that, mentally and emotionally. He didn't think he could sleep, but he would never object to hiding away in his room for the rest of the day, with Lily safely in his arms.

Without another word, Severus linked his fingers with Lily's and led her from the office. For once, a lightness in his step now the Locket was destroyed. The Locket had truly fought to protect itself with the only weapon it had, but with Lily by his side, he had had the strength to take it on and emerge victorious. All the Horcruxes were gone. Voldemort was mortal. And with Lily fighting with him, surely there was nothing he couldn't do.


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Remus sat alone at the Gryffindor table, idly flicking through yesterday's newspaper as he sipped his tea. It was still early morning, and a Sunday to boot, James and Sirius shouldn't be up anytime soon.

The Death Eaters had been strangely quiet for the last fortnight, the last attacks had come during the Easter holidays. It didn't make any sense though, why would the attacks just stop right when they'd been building? There had been no new reports of any ministry workers disappearing, no families or businesses attacked. There hadn't been any unusual circumstances surrounding Muggle families that could be chalked up to Death Eater activities. They were still out there, there had been no reports of any captures. Voldemort was still planning his next moves, he had to be. Or waiting for someone else to make a move. Or waiting for someone. _Severus?_

From the whispers he'd heard among the Slytherins, the looks and stares Severus had received, it was clear that Voldemort was still after him. _But why?_ Did this prophecy mean so much to You-Know-Who that he was waiting until he could get to Severus, waiting until school was finished? It was insane. But then, insane was a rather accurate description of him anyway, why should anything he did make sense at all. Why would anyone think joining him would be a good idea? _Why did Peter?_

Remus sighed heavily, as thoughts of Peter Pettigrew ran through his mind for around the hundredth time. It still didn't make sense. They'd been his friend, for five years the four of them had been inseparable. They'd have done anything for each other. Or so he thought. Peter had become an Animagus, along with James and Sirius, so they could help him safely. _How did it all go so wrong?_ Why couldn't they save him?

Their sixth year together hadn't been too different, at least at the beginning, when James and Sirius didn't trust Snape. As they became more accepting of the Slytherin boy, and more willing to admit they'd judged him unfairly, the more distant and angry Peter became. But that still didn't make sense. The boys had spent years tormenting Severus because they believed he was dark, that he had his own agenda and intended to join Voldemort's ranks. So why would Peter do exactly that when it was clear where Snape's loyalties truly were? Had Peter ever truly been their friend in the first place? Or had he enjoyed being a part of the little group of Marauders?

There was no asking him any of those questions now though, it was too late for that. He'd been caught red handed in McGonagall's office, snooping for information. Addresses. And it wasn't the first time. He'd got Snape's address and passed it along to the Death Eater's - the house had then been burned to the ground. Remus would bet every last knut that he had that Peter had been looking for Lily's address. Voldemort was targeting the families of Muggleborns, Peter was happy to help, and Lily's address would have only been the first. Which was even more disturbing, none of them could have imagined the quiet boy helping the Death Eater's in such a way. How could Peter be absolutely fine with assisting in the murder of Lily's parents? For what? To gain favour with Voldemort? Peter was clearly sick. He wasn't the boy they'd met at the start of their first year. Nobody was, he just hadn't expected him to change so drastically.

It had been reported in the Prophet that Peter had been working inside the school on behalf of You-Know-Who, and he'd been caught. And he was marked. Magical Law Enforcement had come and taken him away in order to protect the students from his potential activities, and harsh as it seemed, Azkaban was probably the safest place for him at the moment. If other students had found out what he'd been doing while he was still here, they would have made his life a misery - Lily would probably verbally bash him plenty. If he was expelled and remained free, then Voldemort wouldn't be pleased with him for failing. He'd be severely punished, if not killed now he'd outlived his usefulness.

"Morning, Moony" Sirius greeted as he slid onto the bench beside him.

"Morning. Bit early for you, isn't it?" Remus questioned. If he was honest, he was concerned about Sirius, Peter's actions seemed to have affected him the most and he swung between quiet concern over Peter's fate, and outright anger at the betrayal of their friendship.

"Couldn't sleep" he shrugged, pouring himself some tea.

"Me neither" Remus admitted.

"How did we miss it?" Sirius asked, shaking his head.

"It's not that we missed it, it didn't happen overnight" he pointed out. Sirius sighed, taking the paper from him.

"I know, but we failed him"

"We didn't fail him, he's made his own choices. We tried to keep him close to us, and it didn't work out. We didn't make him do any of this"

"It just feels like there should have been something else we could have done"

"Like what?"

"I don't know!" Sirius snapped, "Sorry. I lost my brother to that side already, and then Wormtail"

"You didn't fail Regulus either, you know" Remus told him gently.

"Me moving out didn't help him though, did it?"

"No, but you can't live your life based on what other people want. It was dangerous for you to stay at Grimmauld Place -"

"I'd probably be dead by now if I'd stayed there" he interrupted.

"Well there you go. If you're dead, you can't help anybody can you?"

"What if we're wrong? About Snape?" Sirius asked quietly.

"Why do you think we're wrong?"

"I don't. But... Peter was adamant that Snape was meeting with my brother"

"Yes, and Peter is now in Azkaban for being a marked Death Eater" he pointed out, "He'd say anything to try and cause friction between you and Snape again"

"Yeah, but... but what if we're all wrong?"

"We're not" Remus said confidently, "I'd be more worried about what else Peter knows about us"

"Like what?" Sirius asked with a frown.

"He knows you and James are unregistered animagi, he could say something that could lead to an investigation. He knows I'm a... you know"

"Oh Merlin, I hadn't even thought about any of that"

"If he says something, it may be that no one believes him and thinks that he's just trying to cause trouble, but it wouldn't take much to have someone come and ask a few questions"

"You think Dumbledore would let them?"

"I'm sure he'd do his best to keep him away, but he might not be given much of a choice. And whatever concerns you might have about Severus, he's known about what we are for nearly two years and he hasn't said anything. We can trust him, Sirius"

"I know," Sirius sighed. "It's just hard"

"Hard admitting you were wrong?" Remus teased.

"Yeah, but can we drop it now, Moony?" he said, rolling his eyes as he finally began reading the paper.

"Whatever you say, Padfoot"

"It's all gone a bit quiet" Sirius said.

"Mmm, odd, but maybe that's the point. Lull everyone into a false sense of security, so it creates more impact when the attacks start again"

"Yeah, when people start to relax and let their guard down," he sighed. "Did you see this bit?"

"Which bit?"

"Here," he said, pointing at a small section several pages in, "Someone swears blind they saw You-Know-Who himself"

"I doubt it, nobody's seen him for weeks, he just sends his minions out to do the dirty work"

"That's not the weird bit though. They're convinced they saw him, and that he had a snake with him"

"A snake? I think someone probably had a few too many Firewhiskey's" Remus said "You-Know-Who doesn't strike me as the type to have a pet"

"No, but he is a Parselmouth, isn't he? If was going to get a familiar, a snake would make the most sense"

"True, but when did Voldemort ever do anything that made sense?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, you're right, mate" Sirius sighed. "That's going a bit far even for that nutter" he laughed.

Remus laughed too, for a moment, before the words of Trelawney crept into his mind _'The snake will only be destroyed by a lion... you will do it, to protect the Chosen One'._ Surely she had to have been speaking metaphorically, she couldn't have meant an _actual_ snake. Severus was the Chosen One, there was no doubt about that, and Lily would protect him, she'd always defended him, ever since they first came across James and Sirius on the train.

"What's up, Moony?" Sirius asked him cautiously.

"Nothing. Just thinking, that's all" he shrugged, he couldn't tell him about Trelawney, he'd promised he wouldn't.

"I think we've done a lot of that today. Perhaps we should stop before we give ourselves headaches"

"Well, I wouldn't want you to strain yourself on my account" Remus smirked.

"Cheeky bugger" he laughed, nudging him with his elbow. It never took long for the usual carefree Sirius to resurface, he could never be serious for long. But that wasn't a bad thing, it wasn't going to them any good to continuously dwell on 'maybes' and 'what ifs'. That decided, Sirius cast the newspaper aside as they both dug into the breakfast spread. But Remus did make a mental note to keep an eye out for any more reports of a snake sighting. Just in case.

...

"Well done, both of you" Professor Ainscott told them, "Let's take a short break before we work on something else" he suggested. Lily nodded as she made her way to the side of the almost empty classroom, settling herself on the floor, leaning back against the stone wall.

It had been an intense morning, as she and Severus had worked with Professor Ainscott again, working on duelling techniques. Well, fighting techniques. It wasn't preparation for a Duelling competition, it was battle preparation. There was no way at all the Death Eater's would be observing any rules. They wouldn't care about a fair fight, about it staying one on one. They would gang up, however many they had against whoever they came across. Two on one. Four on one. _Ten on one._ They wouldn't care. And both Lily and Severus needed to be prepared.

It wasn't easy, and they couldn't practice every skill they would need. They could only hope it would be enough. The main focus so far had been their shield charms; they needed to be able to throw up a shield in the blink of an eye, almost by reflex, and non verbally to give them any kind of advantage. They couldn't hesitate. Death Eater's wouldn't hesitate to curse them, they needed to be protected. And they would need to fight back.

It had quickly become apparent that Severus was excellent at defending himself, his shield always quickly in place. No doubt from years of looking over his shoulder, always expecting an attack from somewhere. From someone. He'd been able to hold his own in unfair fights in the past, but that was against those in his year group - the Marauders, the Slytherin's. None of those were as dangerous as the Death Eater's would be. Or Voldemort, when it came to the time they needed to face him. Though the shield charm wouldn't be any use against the killing curse. Lily tried to suppress a shudder at that thought.

"What is it?" Severus asked her quietly, as he leaned back against the wall beside her.

"Just thinking" she sighed, "About what it will be like when we finally face him" she admitted.

"Hmm. I wish we didn't have to think about that" he told her with a frown.

"I don't think we have a choice. That is what we're preparing for" she pointed out. That was the point in these sessions, getting ahead of the game, being as ready as they could possibly be to fight him once they'd left the safety of Hogwarts behind.

"I know," he said sadly, reaching for her hand. "I still wish we didn't have to, though. And I wish you didn't have to be involved" he added.

"We have to stay together in this, Sev, you know that" she pointed out, squeezing his fingers.

"I know that, but I don't have to like it" he said. Lily nodded, she knew he didn't want her fighting, he wanted her safe. He didn't want her to be in the position of having to protect him. Because he knew she would do it, and that thought frightened him. Lily wasn't a coward though, and she would fight with Severus, by his side, no matter how scared she was, just as he would do the same for her. They needed each other, they would keep each other safe, even if it was risky. That was the only way they would win, the only way the war would end.

"Have you spoken to Dumbledore yet?" she asked him. They'd left in rather a hurry after he'd destroyed the Locket, and spent the rest of the day in his room. Severus had been exhausted after that confrontation and slept soundly in her arms until it was time for dinner. The Horcruxes were now gone, he had taken them on and won. Severus was destroying the Dark Lord piece by piece, and now only one remained. Voldemort. Admittedly this was the most dangerous one, his body may be housing only a tattered remnant of his soul, but he was still a wizard. A wizard with formidable powers, and not a shred of sanity. Killing was as easy as breathing to him, which made him so dangerous. And no other wizard had come close to injuring him, let alone 'removing' him - not even Dumbledore had accomplished that. But Severus had to do it. She didn't see why the Order couldn't launch an attack now. Dumbledore knew he was mortal, they knew where some of the Death Eater's manors were. Why couldn't they go on the offensive now? Why did they have to wait for Severus? Hadn't he done enough already? Surely by doing nothing, they were only giving the Death Eaters more time to recruit. Or more time for Voldemort to figure out that his Horcruxes had gone.

"No, not yet. I'm sure I'll be seeing him at some point today" he told her.

"There's a lot to talk about now, right?" she asked.

"Definitely. So much we still need to figure out"

"When to move?"

"Yes" he nodded.

"Surely Dumbledore has to move soon" she reasoned.

"I don't know. I think Voldemort has kept himself fairly well hidden in recent times. His Death Eaters have been seen, but not him"

"Then clearly the fight needs taking to him" she argued, "Before he can add any more to his army"

"I don't think it's that simple, Lily"

"Since when has anything been simple?" she almost snorted.

"True" he conceded with a sigh. Nothing was simple for them, it hadn't been for a very long time. For the first time, she almost envied Petunia. Petunia didn't have to worry about war, or being hunted, or good, or evil, or politics. All Petunia had to worry about was keeping her house pristine and making sure dinner was on the table for her husband. Petunia could have a 'normal' life. A simple life. Although, it would be very dull. And she would have to share a bed with that hideous beast of a man. No, she didn't want Petunia's life, not in the slightest. She just wanted to find her own normal with Severus.

"So, are you two ready to continue?" Professor Ainscott asked as he walked across the room.

"Just about" Lily smiled, allowing Severus to pull her to her feet.

"You're both doing well, your shields are in place quickly, and fairly strong" he told them.

"Is it going to be enough, though?" Lily asked. "You've been fighting for the Order, right?"

"Yes, Miss Evans, I have"

"This is nothing like what we're going to face, is it?"

"No, but we need to start somewhere. Dumbledore is convinced that You-Know-Who is waiting for Mr Snape"

"He is, but... I don't know" she sighed.

"I know it's overwhelming, but we need to do something" Ainscott said gently.

"Will it be enough?" she asked again, "When we fight, are we going to get picked off straight away? Are we easy targets?"

"Order members protect each other as best they can, which is something the Death Eater's don't do. The two of you are going to be quite prominent targets - but you won't be 'easy' targets" he told them, "You have the ability to protect yourself, we're just polishing those skills, making them second nature"

"But we can't practice all the skills we need. Acting in defence is one thing, but we're going to need to attack as well" she pointed out.

"True enough," he admitted, "For now, I'm afraid we can only practice with simple jinxes, get used to attacking quickly without risking any injuries while we're training" he explained. She understood the principle of what they were doing, it all made perfect sense - practicing shield charms and throwing tripping jinxes and stinging hexes at each other, along with stunning spells and body binds - it meant they could learn to attack quickly, improve their speed without the risk of getting hurt. It still wouldn't be anything like that when it came time to actually fight.

"It will be alright, Lily" Severus said as he squeezed her fingers.

"Look, I'm not going to lie" Professor Ainscott said, "It's not easy, and it's certainly not fun, going into a battle. It will be chaos, and you will have to move quickly, once you are noticed"

"But we're going to need to know more spells, we can't send tripping jinxes at Death Eater's" she argued.

"No, but you are already aware of some useful spells - a body bind should come in handy, Death Eater's rarely stop to release each other, they're more intent on saving their own skin. But they will be aiming to use Unforgivable's - the Cruciatus they particularly enjoy"

"Torturing their victims is more entertaining than killing them outright" Severus said quietly.

"Yes, though in battle they won't torment for long, they will want to kill before another Order member can tackle them"

"So what else can we use?" Lily asked, it didn't sound too promising if a body bind was their best hope.

"Well, any kind of blasting curse, fireballs, stunners. The Headmaster tells me that Severus' cutting curse would be a useful one to have in your arsenal"

"It's not a pleasant spell, it's dark magic" Severus pointed out with a sigh.

"But the Death Eater's already know of that spell thanks to Mulciber, don't they?" Lily asked.

"Oh, they'll know it" he muttered sadly.

"Then shouldn't we be using it too?" she asked, "I mean, you said yourself it's really hard to heal"

"The area cursed is never the same again, you know that, we both have the scars" he said sadly.

"I know" she said sadly, squeezing his fingers. "You can't blame yourself for what he did" the scars they had were faint now, but they would always be there. They didn't bother her at all, they were simply a part of who she was, it was part of her story. But they bothered Severus - not the appearance of them, he wasn't shallow or vain in the slightest. He hated the reminder that they were caused by something he'd created. He blamed himself.

"That spell is a reminder of the person I was becoming. I was becoming something dark" Severus said quietly.

"But you turned away from that path" Ainscott reasoned.

"I did, with Lily's help. But that darkness must still exist in me, somewhere, deep down. I don't want to give in to it"

"You won't, Sev. You're not dark, you know that" she told him gently. Severus sighed, she knew he wasn't, why couldn't he see that himself? He'd done so much good, would still do so much good in his life. He had to accept that this life was not the one the memories came from. The memories were just a warning now, of what he might have become had he continued down that road.

"Anyway," Lily continued, "The point I was trying to make is that _they_ will be using that curse, regardless of your feelings about it. The Death Eater's aren't aware of the counter curse for it, are they? So if they sustain an injury from it, they can't heal themselves as effectively"

"It would certainly slow them down pretty quickly" Ainscott admitted.

"And you would use it?" Severus asked, looking her straight in the eyes.

"If I had to, yes" she nodded, "It if meant protecting myself or someone I loved, then I would use it" she told him. Severus sighed, looking away from her. War was a messy business, they already knew that. They couldn't hesitate, they would have to use every weapon they had to end this. That was one reason she thought Severus should be working on other spells to use, so they would have weapons the other side didn't know about and couldn't use in return.

"All we can do is practice what we can, until we're called to fight. We never know when the next attack is coming, or where it will take place" Ainscott said.

"Mmm, and it does seem to have gone quiet again" Severus said.

"Indeed. It is... unusual. I certainly expected things to be picking up" Ainscott admitted. "Though, there was a report in the Prophet that he was spotted last week" Ainscott said.

"Oh? I doubt he's been anywhere" Severus said.

"It's most likely nonsense. With the Death Eaters going quiet, the Prophet hasn't had much to report. People are worried and paranoid and making anything that's slightly out of the ordinary into something much bigger than it is. And the Prophet reports it because it helps them sell papers, whether it's true or not"

"True. Newspapers have always been that way - Muggle ones are exactly the same" Lily pointed out.

"Did it say where he was spotted?" Severus asked.

"A small village, down near the south coast" Ainscott told them.

"Strange" Severus muttered.

"Mmm. Said he was alone, apart from a snake" the Professor said quietly.

"Snake?" Severus asked, his eyes suddenly snapping back to hers.

"It can't be true, Severus" she said quietly, not entirely believing that herself. She didn't _want_ to believe it, that would mean she'd have to take what Trelawney had predicted literally.

"As I said, it's probably nonsense. I can't see much reason that Voldemort would have been spotted without his Death Eaters. And no reason for him to have a snake"

"But you don't know that for definite" Severus argued.

"True, but it doesn't seem likely, does it?" Ainscott argued back. Severus let out a humourless laugh, rubbing a hand across his face. Lily didn't know what to say, didn't know how to reassure Severus or herself.

"I'm sorry, Professor, I think I'm going to have to leave it there for today" Severus said quietly, "You stay, Lily. I'll talk to you later" he added, turning and walking away so quickly, it took her a second to realise he'd already reached the door.

"Sev!" she called, chasing after him as he paused at the door. "Are you ok?" she asked.

"I don't know, Lily" he said helplessly, "I need to get some answers, if I can. You stay and practice, and I'll tell you everything later. I promise" he assured her.

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure" he nodded, quickly pressing his lips to her forehead before he was gone again, off to the only place he could possibly get an answer.

"Is everything alright, Miss Evans?"

"Yes, Sir. It's fine" she answered, attempting a smile.

"I take it he's off to talk to the Headmaster, then?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, Sir" she sighed.

"Well, I'm sure if there's any truth to this report, then Dumbledore will tell me when I need to know" he said. Lily could only nod in response, that was definitely how Dumbledore worked. Each person was told what they needed to know, when they needed to know it, and no sooner. She was only privy to so much information because of Severus. "Anyway, shall we get back to practice?" he asked her.

"Yes, Sir" she answered with a smile, thankful for something to do while Severus was once again discussing the war with the Headmaster. Though she hoped that thoughts of the snake wouldn't distract her too much while she attempted to improve her skills.

...

Severus made his way quickly through the castle, long strides and nervous energy moving him ever onwards in the hopes of getting some answers. Surely it couldn't be too late. _Could it?_ They'd removed the final Horcrux only yesterday, they should be able to make their move now. The final move. Removing Voldemort. The memories indicated that the snake wasn't involved until much later than now. But he'd changed so much in the war already. Well, not just the war was different now, their whole lives were different. _He_ was different. Voldemort _could_ have a snake. And if he already had a snake, there was a chance he'd already used it as the final Horcrux he'd planned. He'd wanted his soul to be in seven pieces, so far it was in six. And together, he and Dumbledore had removed five of them.

Severus practically growled Dumbledore's password to the gargoyle, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for it to move aside and allow him access to the staircase. He banged a fist on the office door at the top, waiting for the Headmaster to beckon him inside.

"Is it true?" Severus asked as soon as the door closed behind him, not even bothering with greetings.

"Severus?" Dumbledore asked with a frown.

"The snake. Professor Ainscott said there was a reported sighting of Voldemort, and he had a snake with him. Is it true?" Severus asked. Dumbledore sighed.

"I do not know" he admitted quietly. Severus groaned, it couldn't be happening like this. "Sit down, Severus. Please" Dumbledore said softly. Severus obeyed, taking his usual seat opposite the Headmaster. "The report did not come from an Auror or an Order member - there have been no confirmed sightings of Lord Voldemort from sources we _know_ are trustworthy" he explained.

"But that's not to say it isn't true, though" Severus pointed out.

"No. And given what we know from your memories, it does make it harder to ignore" Dumbledore agreed.

"So where does that leave us? In the war?" Severus asked. He had to know, he needed to know the plan. He needed to know what he and Lily would have to face.

"I had been expecting to take a more active approach in searching out Voldemort's whereabouts, now that the Horcruxes have been destroyed. We need to remove him before he can create another"

"Or finds out what we've done" Severus added.

"Yes. If he starts checking on the security of his hidden treasures, that could indeed prove disastrous. It could provoke him into attempting to create more, or he could decide he will no longer wait for you to be outside the castle and simply launch an attack on Hogwarts itself"

"Do you think he knows? That all the Horcruxes are gone?" Severus asked. That possibility worried him. Dumbledore had assured him last year that Voldemort would not feel it when one was destroyed. But what about as time had gone on? As more were removed? Would that increase his connection to the last ones remaining? Did Voldemort feel it yesterday when he'd destroyed the Locket? Dumbledore sighed before continuing.

"I do not believe so, Severus. His soul is able to feel very little now, thanks to its tattered state, the shred he has left is so focused on its own location, I doubt it has any tangible connection to the pieces outside of his body"

"And he'll still want to shred it further, if he hasn't already" Severus muttered miserably. It was a thoroughly depressing thought. That madman was so intent on living forever that he would defile his own soul that way. Not just once, but repeatedly. Surely whatever came after death couldn't be as bad as the insane existence he was creating. Severus knew when it was time for him to face death, he would do so with dignity, he wouldn't run from it, he wouldn't hide.

"For now, we cannot risk attacking Voldemort directly, until we know for sure whether he has acquired a snake" Dumbledore said.

"If he does we'll have to treat it as if it's already a Horcrux regardless, we have no way of knowing what he's done" Severus pointed out.

"Yes. We cannot risk it. If he does have a snake, it must be removed before Voldemort. Just in case" Dumbledore agreed sadly.

"It's just frustrating" Severus said, meeting Dumbledore's eyes. "I thought the Locket would be the final piece, before I had to face him. It feels like an endless cycle, every time we take a step closer, we're moving backwards again" he said.

"Unfortunately, that is often the way with war. The other side is making their move as well. And both sides are fighting blind, we cannot see their moves, they cannot see ours" Dumbledore pointed out.

"We just have to keep hoping we're one move ahead of them" Severus said.

"Indeed. Without those memories, I fear we would be several moves behind" Dumbledore said with a tired smile.

"That's true" Severus conceded. He couldn't argue that at all. Without the memories, they would still have no idea that Voldemort had made multiple Horcruxes, or what objects he'd used, or where he'd hidden them. They wouldn't know that Pettigrew would be a traitor, or that Regulus Black had second thoughts. Without the memories, he would be planning his own initiation into Voldemort's ranks rather than a wedding.

"I am worried, though. About him potentially having a snake, and what it means for Lily's role in this" Severus said, he couldn't forget what Trelawney had told her.

"That doesn't necessarily mean that she will have to take on the snake" Dumbledore said. Severus raised an eyebrow, wondering whether the Headmaster actually believed that, even as the words left his mouth.

"Sir, I don't think Professor Trelawney has much talent as a Seer, but given the things she's said about my role - which is looking pretty damn certain - it would be foolish not to take her words to Lily into account" he said sadly.

"Perhaps. Lily is brave and loyal, and she is stronger than everyone realises - especially the other side. Maybe she will have the element of surprise in her favour"

"I don't want her to get hurt. I don't want her to get hurt protecting me" he said. If it was a choice between saving her or himself, he would choose her every time.

"I know. But you can't keep her locked up. Do not underestimate her, Severus" Dumbledore told him.

"I will never underestimate her, Sir. I believe she is stronger than I am" he said quietly.

"And now, you underestimate yourself" Dumbledore said. Severus snorted. "You are both strong individuals, but together you will be even stronger. The two of you will change the world"

"Or die trying" Severus said, shaking his head. It was true though. Win or lose, live or die, if they did it together then it might not be so bad.

"How goes the training with Professor Ainscott?" Dumbledore asked.

"Fine. Lily is still with him now, she's nervous, about how she will cope when we're actually facing Death Eaters"

"Understandably so" Dumbledore said.

"I know," Severus nodded, "She thinks we should be using my spell" he added with a frown.

"It is a life and death situation" Dumbledore pointed out.

Severus nodded sadly in agreement. He knew what Lily had said made sense, he just hated dwelling on that darker part of himself, he'd tried to bury the darkness deep down, letting Lily's light drive it away. But it would never vanish completely. He feared what would happen if he tapped into that dark place again.

"Only you can decide what is right for you, Severus. You will not let it consume you, of that I am certain" the Headmaster said. Severus could only nod, still surprised that everyone trusted him, believed he wouldn't give into the temptation.

"There was something else I wished to discuss with you, about Professor Ainscott's extra sessions" Dumbledore continued. "There are others in your year group I wish to discuss the Order with, they may wish to join and the sessions would be of help to them"

"Well, I think come summer the war is going to escalate pretty fast" Severus nodded.

"It is, and some of your peers have been accepted into the Auror training programme - depending on their exam results of course" he said. Severus thought he had an idea where this conversation was heading.

"They have. A few members of Gryffindor have been particularly vocal" he said, resisting the urge to smirk.

"Would you object?" Dumbledore asked, amusement in his eyes as they stared at each other.

"Sir?" Severus asked innocently, playing the game, waiting for Dumbledore to ask him outright. Dumbledore sighed.

"Would you object if your sessions included Mr's Potter, Black and Lupin? Of course, there are several others I wish to talk to as well"

"I have no objections" Severus answered evenly, smirking at the surprise that flickered across Dumbledore's features. "You knew I wouldn't object, Sir. They know we're on the same side, and the more prepared they are for what's coming, the safer everyone will be"

"Very wise, Severus" Dumbledore replied with a smile and a nod. "You've come a long way, in a very short time. I am proud of what you've so far achieved, and proud to be fighting with you" Dumbledore told him sincerely. Severus sat in silence, taken aback by his words. No one except Lily told him they were proud of him. And for some reason, the Headmaster's words reached a part of himself he thought long gone - the boy he used to be, the boy who wanted the approval of someone. A parent. His mother had said very little to him in the way of kind and nurturing words, and his father had spewed only venom. Dumbledore wasn't his parent, by any stretch of the imagination, but his words affected him all the same. And Dumbledore knew that, he could see it in his eyes.

"I shall set something up with the others. See how they feel about joining your sessions" Dumbledore said with a smile.

Severus could only nod as he rose from his seat, slipping from the Headmaster's office, with Dumbledore's words still playing in his head. _He was proud of him._ If he was honest, he was proud of himself. He _had_ done a lot, come a long way, and he would stand shoulder to shoulder with the boys who once tormented him, because ultimately, they were on the same side. There was strength in numbers. And together, they stood a better chance of winning the war.


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78

It was 3am when Albus Dumbledore and Wilfred Ainscott finally made it back to Hogwarts, the two men trudged tiredly in the direction of the Headmaster's office, the only light coming from the tips of their wands.

They wanted to hurry back to the Headmaster's office, but it had been a very long night indeed, their footsteps were slow and heavy on the stone floor, echoing off the walls of the sleeping castle.

Albus had never been so relieved to get back to his desk, sinking into his chair with a weary groan, before calling a house elf to request some tea for them both. Wilfred had already sunk into one of the chairs and was rubbing his face with both hands, no doubt thankful that at least it was Saturday tomorrow and would be able to sleep the day away rather than teach class after class of boisterous children.

The house elf returned almost instantly with a tray for them, disappearing again rapidly once Albus had thanked him. Wilfred accepted the offered cup with a nod and a tired smile. The poor man looked exhausted, but after a full week teaching that wasn't the Friday night they'd anticipated. At least he wasn't injured, neither of them were. But it had been too late to engage the Death Eater's once they'd arrived anyway.

"This will be all over the front page of the Prophet come breakfast time" Wilfred finally spoke.

"Indeed it will" Albus agreed. "We all wondered why it had gone quiet, now we know" he added sadly. They'd been planning something a little bigger. Azkaban. The Death Eater's hadn't bothered targeting any individuals or businesses for a couple of weeks, purely so they could concentrate their efforts on breaking into Azkaban to free their incarcerated colleagues. They wanted as many devoted members of his army as they possibly could before summer arrived. And with these particular followers now having been subjected to time with the Dementors, that wouldn't exactly help them think with any sort of clarity. No doubt they would be even more dangerous to face now.

"And you had no idea what they were planning?" Wilfred asked.

"Unfortunately not" Albus answered with a sigh. Severus had been able to warn him of a great deal, but the memories could only help 'so much'. The Horcruxes had been removed twenty years earlier than the memories had indicated, they were in uncharted territory now. The war would have to be fought in a more 'typical' fashion. They had no more advanced warnings, it had been months since Severus had received a memory, and there was no reason to believe any more would reach him at all. The memories had all revolved around the Horcruxes, and making sure Severus didn't become a Death Eater. Whoever had sent the memories back had wanted to save Severus, keep him in the light.

"This is where a spy would come in handy" Wilfred muttered. Albus gave a small smile, he couldn't argue with that.

"Indeed it would," Albus agreed. "Voldemort has many spies behind our lines, mainly in the Ministry. It would be a great help to have at least one of our own"

"I doubt anyone would be convinced to do it" Wilfred said sadly.

"It would be incredibly dangerous, perhaps the most dangerous position to be in. It would be almost impossible to convince someone to attempt to join his ranks solely for that purpose - Lord Voldemort's use of Legilimency would mean that only the strongest of Occlumens would even dare attempt such a thing"

"Lying to You-Know-Who would be suicide" Wilfred agreed, shaking his head.

"I doubt there are many, if any, who could lie to Voldemort" Albus confirmed. He doubted any could lie and live, not for long anyway, he'd never heard of anyone accomplishing that feat - only the Severus the memories had belonged to.

"And at the moment, I doubt any of his followers could be convinced to 'switch sides'" Wilfred muttered.

"No. Lord Voldemort likes to promise his faithful followers power and recognition for their loyalty. They are all so very eager to follow him and carry out his orders" Albus agreed. They did have someone who was leaning in that direction already, not that he planned on telling anyone else that.

"I suppose until one of them is asked to do something that goes against their conscience, none would think about leaving him. They'd be killed instantly if they were discovered" Wilfred pointed out.

"Very true. Especially once marked, it's impossible to leave" Albus agreed. Once branded, they'd signed their life over to their Master, their life was his to command. Disobey, or fail him, that life was forfeit, the price for failure. Every Death Eater knew that going in, they weren't blind. They were short sighted, though. Every single one of them believed that they alone were a unique talent, that they had something Voldemort needed, a skill that would set them apart from the others, that their Master would reward them. They were, of course, wrong. Voldemort would whisper lies and empty promises to get them to kneel and grovel at his feet, he would brand them and own them. When they failed, he would punish them and kill them. There was no mercy, or forgiveness for mistakes. Most Death Eater's learned that when it was too late. Then fear kept them at his side, fighting amongst themselves to prove they were loyal.

"So," Wilfred began, "Their recruitment is down through their ordinary channels, so they've liberated some that already follow him?"

"He is preparing for his next steps in the war" Albus said sadly. "He will need every person on his side he can get, the war will escalate very soon"

"When school is finished for the summer?" he asked.

"He wants to go after Severus himself. He will do that when school is over" Albus confirmed. "How is his training coming along?"

"Good. Very good. He seems quite determined that he's going to do whatever is required of him" Wilfred told him with a small smile.

"He is. He is not one to underestimate, Wilfred. For many years he was the target of others - that could have forced him over to Lord Voldemort's side. But he is determined he wants to fight for what is right. He is stronger than anyone realises - including Voldemort" Albus told him. Voldemort would see him as a weak boy, one who had fled from him for a girl. For love. Voldemort believed feeling love made one weak, he would never understand that precisely the opposite was true. Love made people stronger. "And Miss Evans?"

"She is better than she believes she is. She is worried she will be an 'easy' target. That isn't the case" Wilfred assured him.

"Good" Albus nodded. "There may be a few others joining your next training session"

"Sir?"

"Some students have been offered places on the Auror training programme, and I believe they will wish to fight for the Light"

"You want them to join the Order?"

"I wish to discuss it with them, and offer them the choice to join. If they accept, they need to be prepared for the summer - we have no idea how quickly a confrontation will take place"

"True. Is Severus aware that others will be joining?"

"He is, and has been most... supportive of the idea" Albus answered with a smile.

"Very well, I shall expect them Sunday morning" Wilfred agreed.

"Excellent. Now, obviously news of the breakout will be in the Prophet by morning, I will address the students at breakfast and reassure them as best I can"

"And the Hogsmeade visit?"

"Will be cancelled. I doubt they would make their way here the day after escaping Azkaban, but we can't be too sure"

"A couple of them should still be students, shouldn't they?"

"Evan Rosier should be in his seventh year, he still has friends in Slytherin he may wish to meet with. And Peter Pettigrew, I doubt he would want to come anywhere near where his former friends may be, they would not be pleased to see him. And I'm not entirely sure his new 'colleagues' trust him - particularly after failing in his task" Albus said. The Death Eater's may seek to punish him for failing, just as Potter and Black may wish to punish him for his betrayal of their friendship.

"What about the others that escaped?"

"Rookwood is dangerous, but I believe he will stay close to Voldemort's inner circle. Karkaroff was a new recruit, he attempted to buy his freedom in exchange for names - which will place him in danger if Voldemort finds that out. And there's Andrew Mulciber, he's perhaps the most dangerous of the escapees, and one of his original followers. The other five missing inmates were suspected Death Eaters, but were not marked"

"So ten are confirmed escaped, then?"

"Yes. I think Pettigrew would be the most likely to show up here though, Voldemort may send him on another mission to prove himself. He may try and sneak in through one of the tunnels - and he can turn into a rat, so we all need to keep on the lookout"

"That does rather give him the advantage, doesn't it? Being able to transform into something so small and inconspicuous"

"It does, but we know of his ability so can watch. He will not surprise us, which gives us the advantage" Albus pointed out. It was only an advantage when no one knew the secret. They all knew now, they would be watching, just in case. "Now, it is very, very late and I believe sleep is in order" Albus suggested.

"Yes, Sir" Wilfred agreed quite readily. Albus nodded and watched as his defence professor rose from his seat and headed for the door, pausing to offer a 'Good night' before disappearing, leaving Albus alone with his thoughts once again.

Ten followers broken out of Azkaban. Voldemort obviously wanted his army boosting by any means. Albus had to boost his own army too, though be entirely different means. The invitation to join the Order needed to be extended sooner, rather than later, they needed to be prepared. He couldn't wait until summer to start training the new recruits, that would be too late. Severus was right, the more preparation they had, the safer they would all be.

Tomorrow, discussions would be had with those he believed would want to join the Order, and Sunday they would start training. The students wouldn't be happy about the Hogsmeade visit being cancelled, but some things were more important. He honestly didn't expect the Death Eaters to ambush the visit, but bigger things were brewing and he had a duty to keep them all safe while they attended his school. Albus knew Magical Law Enforcement wanted an excuse to visit Hogwarts and question the students, Barty had not been pleased that he'd been denied that already. It was only a matter of time before he was back with the backing of the Minister himself. Albus didn't want to give them any extra reasons to visit.

Yes, things were moving on both sides of the war, and sometimes, Albus felt like he was trying to fight off both Voldemort and the Ministry, especially when he had no idea how many of its employees were gathering information for Voldemort. Barty Crouch really wasn't helping matters. True, the man wanted the Light to win, but he just too eager and too ruthless when it came to pursuing the Death Eaters. Crouch wanted them removing, but he was quite happy to use Unforgivables to do that. Albus believed that was a step too far, some lines shouldn't be crossed. And that was enough reason to keep him as far away as possible from a school full of children.

...

Lily grabbed the supplies they needed for today's potion, aiming to make large batches of the ones they'd need for the field kits. They'd already made batches of pain relievers and topical salves in previous weeks, today they would work on the strength potion, a potion that took a lot more time and concentration to create than most of the others they'd made.

Severus was busy lighting fires under several cauldrons as she placed a variety of bottles on the desk beside him, both of them working in silence. The atmosphere in the whole castle had become even more tense than was usual in recent times. As the owls had arrived with the morning post - including copies of the Daily Prophet - that had made everyone aware of what had taken place during the night. Azkaban had been attacked, broken into by Death Eaters in order to free the ones that had been locked up. Six guards had been killed during the attack - the wizards that tended to the prisoners, rather than the Dementors.

There were no reports of any Aurors being injured, they'd arrived too late for that, too late to give chase. She was sure the Order would have attempted to intervene too, Dumbledore looked exhausted, and Ainscott was absent from breakfast. Of course, the Order was never mentioned in any reports - they were operating in secret, though obviously the Death Eater's knew there were more than Ministry Aurors engaging them in battles. Voldemort knew that Dumbledore was doing all he could to oppose him.

Breakfast had changed from the usual chatters, to frightened whispers as the papers arrived. Azkaban was supposed to be impossible to breach, between its location and the Dementors. The fact that Death Eater's had managed to accomplish that frightened everyone. Students were worried that Hogwarts would be next.

Today was supposed to be a Hogsmeade visit, not that that made a difference to her and Severus, they wouldn't have gone anyway. But Dumbledore cancelling the trip for everyone else increased their concerns. He'd never cancelled a trip in the time they'd been there, so the fact he'd done so now spoke volumes.

"Do you think he's worried?" Lily asked as she handed the Salamander blood to Severus. "Dumbledore" she said as his confused eyes met her own.

"Definitely" Severus sighed. "I doubt the Death Eaters would come to Hogsmeade but it's better to be safe"

"Mmm. How did they break in though? How did they get passed the Dementors?" she asked, it was unlikely they'd used a Patronus, she doubted any of them could cast a spell that relied entirely on positive emotions. Death Eaters didn't have the 'goodness' necessary, they couldn't have.

"Maybe the Dementors have switched sides" Severus said quietly.

"It didn't say so in the Prophet" she argued.

"No, but I doubt the Ministry would want to admit they'd lost control of the Dementors - even if it were only a small number of them. They wouldn't want to deal with the panic"

"But people need to know!" she protested. "How can anyone be prepared if they don't know what they're up against?" it was an awful thought. Voldemort already had Inferi he'd created, but to have Dementors as well? Not everyone could create a Patronus, but they should be given the chance to practice that, to defend themselves as best they could.

"I agree with you, Lily, but unless they know it for a fact, saying anything would only cause panic. For now, patrols will increase - the Prophet said they would be increasing Auror presence in areas populated by wizards, they will be able to protect people from the Dementors. If people panic, it will make it harder for the Aurors - and the Order - to do what they need to do" he said gently.

"I suppose so," Lily sighed. "But people have a right to know"

"I'm sure if any reports are confirmed, they'll start telling people" he said. Lily wondered if he actually believed that, or whether it was a hope he was clinging on to. That things would be ok.

"Mmm" she mumbled, turning her attention back to the preparation of the ingredients, beginning the process of grinding down a griffin claw in the pestle and mortar. "Still no reports of You-Know-Who, with or without a snake" she said quietly.

"No." Severus sighed. "I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing" he mumbled.

"At least if there were sightings, we'd know one way or the other" she told him. Much as she didn't want to read a report of him actually having a snake, they really needed to know. They would need every piece of information they could get their hands on, they couldn't go in blind. It could be the difference between success and failure.

"True. I think we need to act as though he does have a snake that we need to remove before we can tackle Voldemort" he said quietly. "Chances are, if he has one, he'll keep it close to him"

"So we'll be working together to get rid of them both at the same time" she said.

"Most likely" he admitted sadly. She knew he didn't want to think about that, about the fact that she had a role, a job to complete in this coming fight. She would battle the snake while Severus dealt with Voldemort himself. Though, they still had no idea when that confrontation would take place. She had no doubt it would be this summer, his evil agents were probably already looking for locations that might become hiding places. Voldemort could find the village the day they arrived, it could be days, it could be weeks. Every minute and hour that passed could be spent in fear, waiting to be found. Waiting to fight. But if, by chance, they _weren't_ found this summer, what would happen in September when their training programmes were due to start? They had both been offered places at St Mungo's, they wouldn't be hard to locate there. Would they even be able to go? Or would Dumbledore insist they stay hidden? They couldn't hide forever with their lives on hold. No, ending the war this summer would definitely be preferable, if only so they could attempt to live some kind of normal life.

"I've been thinking." Severus said softly a he began adding things to the cauldrons.

"Oh? What about?" she asked him.

"About spells. I've had a few ideas but I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to test them" he admitted.

"What have you been thinking about?" she asked curiously, there were so many different options he could pursue.

"Well, for starters, I've been thinking about a new type of shield," he explained. "Everyone uses a Protego, but it doesn't block everything"

"No," she agreed. The Killing Curse was the prime example of what it couldn't defend against, and the curse that Voldemort would be throwing at them.

"Well, the basic Protego works by either absorbing the spell, or deflecting it in some way, weakening its power" he told her, Lily nodded along as he spoke. "I was thinking that maybe I could create some kind of reflective shield, that would turn the spell back on the one who cast it"

"That's a good idea, everything the Death Eaters will be throwing at us is going to be... unpleasant, at best" she said.

"That's one way of putting it" he snorted.

"Any other ideas?"

"Mmm, but they still need more work. They're offensive spells, so hopefully we'll have a new weapon or two that the Death Eaters won't be expecting"

"Are they Dark?" she asked him. Severus sighed.

"It's not Dark Magic, but the effects won't be pleasant if I can get them to work" he told her. Lily placed the pestle and mortar down on the bench and reached over to squeeze his hand gently.

"It's ok, Sev. We need every weapon we can get, they won't hesitate to torture us or kill us" she said simply. And it was true. To the Death Eaters, hers and Severus' lives meant absolutely nothing. She was under no illusions, it was going to be brutal. Severus was still trying to reconcile his conscience and his abilities. Somehow, he found it more acceptable to use current offensive spells, rather than create his own. He was determined to be a good man, but sometimes the best men had the hardest decisions to make, the hardest job to do. If he was destined to take on Voldemort - to _remove_ him - he would have to fight harder, smarter. He would have to be stronger mentally to cope with the idea of murdering another man. To protect her, to protect himself, to protect every other man, woman and child. For the Greater Good. But Severus was concerned about the damage it would do to his own soul, he was worried he wouldn't be able to cope with the guilt. Just like he struggled to cope with the things the _other Severus_ had done.

"I know" he shrugged, returning his attention to the cauldrons as she resumed the grinding of the griffin claw.

"Mum's been busy in the cottage" she told him, trying to change the subject.

"Mmm?"

"She really likes it in the village, I think her and Dad are thinking about staying there long term"

"Really?" he queried.

"Mmm, seems Dumbledore has had a few people introduce themselves"

"Is that wise? It's supposed to be a hiding place" he said.

"A couple of them are Order members. Dumbledore sent them anyway" she told him. "We need to know who we can trust, we can't stay locked inside 24 hours a day"

"I suppose so" he shrugged. "So they want to stay there after the war?"

"It seems so. Mum says it's peaceful, and she likes the people she's met"

"I bet Petunia will love that, your parents associating with more _freaks"_ he muttered.

"Mmm. Muggles can't see all the wizarding parts apparently, so she wouldn't necessarily have to know about that, or that Mum's new friends are witches"

"That's true" he sighed. "What will your Dad do about his job?"

"I assume he'll look for something closer to the area, Mum hasn't said anything about that though"

"I guess there's a lot that we still don't know yet" he said quietly. Which was true. Until they actually started living in the village, they had no idea what would happen. And until the war was over, no one had any idea what would follow - not just her and Severus, but everyone; her parents, his mother, the Order members who would fight alongside them. They couldn't know where they would live, where they would work, who their friends would be. They would have to take each day as it came, and wait to see what would follow afterwards.

"Training could be interesting tomorrow" Severus finally spoke after minutes of working in silence.

"Ah yes, they'll be joining us, won't they?" she asked curiously. He didn't answer at first, merely concentrated on tending the cauldrons. "Do you know who he's planning on asking?" she probed gently.

"Potter, Black and Lupin for a start. Though there are others that he wishes to talk to"

"I see. How do you feel about that? The Marauders?" she asked, watching his face carefully as she waited for his answer.

"Honestly? It's fine. I don't think I'll ever truly like them personally, there's too much history. But, if they're going to fight, they need to know how to do it properly" he said quietly, still stirring the potions. Lily couldn't help but smile up at him. Despite his personal feelings, he was doing his best to be a good man. He would ignore the Marauders past treatment of him, put aside the number of times they'd cornered him, sent him to the hospital wing thanks to their _pranks,_ and he would train alongside them. He would help train them for what they would face. "What?" he asked suspiciously as he finally met her eyes.

"Just proud of you" she told him. Severus shook his head, looking away again. Lily touched his arm gently. "I mean it, Sev" she said quietly. Severus looked at her again, his face softening before he gave a slight nod, taking the powdered griffin claw from her, turning back to the cauldrons, clearly uncomfortable with her praise. She'd honestly thought that she couldn't love him anymore than she already did, but once again she was surprised. That feeling in her chest grew with each passing day, with all the ways he showed her how much he'd grown. She would be truly proud to be able to say she was his wife, whenever that day may be, but he would be worth waiting for.

...

Sunday morning had rolled around once again, April was fast disappearing. Soon it would be over and May would begin, surely that would disappear just as fast as the previous months had, then it would be June and NEWT's. Then school would be over. The end of June would bring about the end of their school days, and the necessity to go into hiding. Severus wasn't entirely convinced that he should hide. The quicker Voldemort found him, the quicker the war would be over. Was that such a bad thing? He didn't think so.

He had no objections to his mother being hidden, or Mr and Mrs Evans - none of those people had any part in this war, yet Voldemort would target them, so it only made sense to hide them. He also wanted Lily hidden, his heart would break if anything happened to her, he'd have no reason to go on if it did. But it would be useless saying that to her, she would fight with him. They would stand together.

Sunday's had now become a time for training. He still met with Dumbledore, but weekly meetings weren't really necessary for the time being - it didn't really seem that likely that any more memories would reach him, and they'd removed all the Horcruxes. So there was nothing to discuss unless other information was uncovered. It was more productive to use that time to hone their skills, to become more confident fighters, work on protecting themselves and reacting quickly. Lily didn't want to be an easy target, and neither did he. Voldemort would be looking for him specifically, and if Lily had to get rid of the bloody snake... well, they needed to be prepared. As did the others who would be joining the Order. There was no way that James Potter and Sirius Black were going to turn down the opportunity to play the heroes, stupid bloody Gryffindor's lived for that kind of stunt. But it was just too dangerous to turn them loose in the fight, they needed to know how to do it 'properly', to give them the best chance of coming through this thing alive.

Severus sighed as he held Lily's hand, the two of them sat on the floor with their backs against the wall in the almost empty classroom they used for training, waiting to be joined by Professor Ainscott, the Marauders, and whoever else had accepted Dumbledore's invitation to join the Order.

"Are you ok, Sev?" she asked as she squeezed his fingers.

"Mmm" he mumbled, letting his head lean against hers, breathing in the soft scent of her hair, the delicate fragrance of roses that he loved. "Do you think they'll behave today?" he asked quietly.

"They will if they know what's good for them" she snorted. Severus nodded, letting a small smile lift the corners of his mouth. No doubt Lily would blow up like dynamite if they started anything stupid.

"Morning, lovebirds" Sirius Black's voice called out to them as the door burst open. Severus rolled his eyes before watching Black strut towards them, before seating himself cross legged on the floor in front of them, cocky grin on his face. James Potter and Remus Lupin followed close behind, sitting either side of Black on the floor.

"Morning, boys" Lily answered, looking faintly amused.

"Morning, Lily" Lupin greeted quietly.

"Evans, Snape" Potter nodded to them.

"Potter" Severus responded calmly.

"Is anyone else joining us?" Lupin asked.

"I'm not sure" Lily told him.

"Dumbledore said there were others he wished to discuss matters with. I have no idea who is actually coming though, I assume Professor Ainscott with know" Severus said.

"Well, you knew we wouldn't turn it down" Black said cockily.

"I suspected the three of you would be here" Severus admitted. Black snorted, looking highly entertained.

"So, the two of you have been working with Dumbledore's _Order_?" Lupin asked.

"In a manner of speaking," Severus answered. "We need to be prepared"

"So, what have you been doing in these sessions?" Black asked eagerly.

"For the most part, we've worked on reacting faster when attacked" Severus said.

"And we've also worked on using the Patronus charm to send messages - that's how Order members can be called so quickly when there's a Death Eater attack" Lily added.

"Sounds fun" Black grinned. Severus rolled his eyes. Fun. Yes, battle preparation was great fun.

"No more strange reports then?" Lupin asked.

"I only know what's been reported in the Prophet" Severus told them. Lupin was clearly desperate to ask about the snake, he'd been there when Trelawney had prattled on to Lily about it.

"There's still plenty of weird stuff that's not reported" Potter said.

"Oh?"

"Mmm, my parents think they were followed last time they went out"

"Do they know for sure?" Severus asked.

"No, but they're pretty convinced. The next day they received an anonymous letter, suggesting they rethink their loyalties" Potter said with a frown.

"Because they're Purebloods?"

"Probably"

"It wouldn't surprise me if other Purebloods received similar messages - I'm sure Voldemort wants to try and sway as many of those who have so far remained neutral, or declared themselves on the side of the Light into joining his side" Severus told them.

"He does want the Purebloods to side with him" Black agreed.

"Did they report it to anyone?" Severus asked.

"No. At least, I don't think so" Potter said.

"You need to mention it to Ainscott, or go to Dumbledore. At least then he'll know the other side is trying other recruitment tactics. If they do nothing else, your parents should strengthen the wards around their house" Severus pointed out.

"You think they'd try something else?" Potter asked.

"You're talking about Death Eaters, they're not just going to send a polite letter asking if they'd like to join them then ignore it!" Severus snapped. "Sooner or later, they'll be back. It's a war they want to win, and they need as many on their side as possible"

"My parents won't join!" Potter snapped back.

"No, but once they refuse, Voldemort will want them killed! He's not just going to walk away from those who would clearly fight against him"

"But they're old! I don't think they could actively fight even if they wanted to" Potter protested.

"Do you honestly think that will stop them? Dumbledore's pushing 100 and he's leading the whole thing! Voldemort doesn't care about age - whether you're 15, 50 or 100, if you oppose what he stands for he will kill you! He's marked school children as his soldiers and he's chosen me as his primary target - do you think he cares that I haven't finished my exams?" Severus explained, unable to keep the frustration out of his voice. Lily squeezed his fingers.

"All right," Potter sighed. "I guess I've got a lot to learn about this war, right?" he conceded.

"That's why you're here" Severus said, sounding slightly less irritated.

"And You-Know-Who has increased his numbers with the Azkaban attack" Lupin said.

"Do you think Wormtail would try and get back into the castle?" Black asked.

"It is a possibility," Severus shrugged. "He knows about the secret tunnels, and he knows about the Shrieking shack" he pointed out. Lupin only looked at the floor.

"He wouldn't be stupid enough to come here, surely?" Potter said, probably still in denial about the fact that their little friend turned out to be a Death Eater.

"He's stupid enough to be Marked, if Voldemort sends him here, then he'll have no choice" Severus snapped.

"I guess we should keep a close eye on the map, then" Lupin said.

"That would be wise" Severus agreed. The three boys in front of him nodded. At least if they caught any sign of him in the tunnels they could let someone know straight away, they couldn't let themselves get caught off guard - especially not by that pathetic little rat.

The door opened again, this time three girls joined them - Alice Prewett, Jessica Marshall and Harriet Fletcher. Severus wasn't surprised to see them. Prewett had applied to join the Auror's, so clearly wanted to work against the darkness. Marshall was head girl and had applied to the Unspeakables - as had Fletcher. Plus, the second two were the girlfriends of Potter and Black. It made sense that they would want to fight together.

"Morning everyone" Marshall greeted as she sat beside Potter, reaching for his hand.

"Morning, Jess. Everything ok?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, everything's great. I had a feeling you two would be here" she smiled, nodding at him and Lily.

"Yep, we're here" Lily confirmed.

"Do you think anyone else is coming?" Prewett asked.

"I don't know" Lily answered with a helpless shrug.

Before anyone else could speak, the door opened once again and Professor Ainscott entered the room.

"Morning everyone," he greeted. "It looks like everyone I was expecting is here, excellent" he said as he locked and warded the room. "Today we'll start working on some skills you'll need to defend yourself to the best of your abilities. Pair up, however you like, and find some space for yourselves in the room" he instructed. The couples all chose each other, unsurprisingly, leaving Lupin and Prewett to work together. There was a feeling of excitement in the room from the others, the knowledge that they were officially starting to prepare for what lay ahead. Severus was just pleased that they could all be in the same room without stupid names being thrown at him. There was no anger, no aggression. It would definitely make fighting alongside each other that much easier if he knew he wasn't going to have to watch out for 'friendly fire'. With a deep breath, training began again for the day.

 **A/N - Hello and welcome to all the new followers of the story, I hope everyone is enjoying it so far. Thank you so much to everyone who has left reviews, I really appreciate you taking the time to do that. Apologies for the slightly longer gap than usual between updates, one of my delightful children decided to share some germs with me, so been a bit under the weather - the joys of children!**


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Lucius Malfoy sat behind his desk in the library, carefully sipping from his goblet of wine, not taking his eyes off Peter Pettigrew. For the moment, the boy was sat in the corner with his back against the wall, arms wrapped around his bent legs, sniffling and rocking himself. He was still in the dirty clothes he'd been wearing when he was liberated from Azkaban - personally Lucius thought he should have been left there, he was of no use to them whatsoever. The Dark Lord had punished Pettigrew for failing in the task he'd been personally set - and for being stupid enough to get caught. Lucius had been punished too, for introducing the boy, though if he was honest, he was still being punished for it - he'd been ordered to keep Pettigrew in his home, keep an eye on him, keep him alive for the time being, just in cast their Master had a use for him in the future. He hated having the snivelling little worm under his roof, he'd rather take another physical punishment, though disagreeing with the Dark Lord would be stupid, and he wasn't suicidal.

Sighing, Lucius placed the goblet back down on the desk, reaching instead for a fresh roll of parchment, deciding instead to make some notes, people he needed to talk to - he had reports to obtain from some members lower in the Circle, those tasked with contacting 'blood traitors'. He hoped there had been some successes, though the hope was tiny - the Pureblood families were definitely divided. Around half of the Purebloods were dedicated followers of the Dark Lord, they were keen to elevate the place of wizards in society and ensure that Mudbloods were eliminated. Of the other half, most were staunch believers in Dumbledore, that magic was magic and all should be welcomed into the wizarding world with open arms, that the heart should be involved when choosing a suitable marriage, that the mixing of bloodlines was not just acceptable, but desirable. They believed that the Mudbloods would enhance the magical world, that their _filth_ could mix with Pureblood families without consequence, without polluting everything they had. _Disgusting_. It would be pointless trying to convince them that they were wrong, that they should join the Dark Lord now before it was too late. Just as it was pointless to convince a Malfoy, or a Lestrange to join Dumbledore. It would never happen.

Though, it did leave a few families that hadn't declared themselves to either side, they wanted to see how things progressed. In one way, it was entirely understandable, they wanted to protect their families by remaining neutral, attempting to ensure they were not a target by anyone. But, they couldn't remain neutral for much longer, the War was escalating, like a snowball rolling down a hill, it was getting bigger, and coming closer. These were the families that needed 'talking to' now, they needed to know that the time to pick their side was here, and if they refused to pick the Dark Lord's side, then they would be a target. Neutrality was no longer an option.

The door to the library opened quietly, Lucius hurried to stand as the Dark Lord swept inside, rather than Narcissa as he'd expected.

"My Lord," he greeted, dipping his head respectfully.

"Lucius" he acknowledged, making his way further into the room, hissing softly at the snake that slithered alongside him.

"This is indeed, a pleasant surprise, my Lord. How may I be of assistance this evening?" Lucius enquired. The Dark Lord walked gracefully around the room, glancing at random items with a disinterested expression, the only time his expression changed was when he spotted Pettigrew whimpering in the corner, his lip curling in disgust.

"Do you have any news for me, Lucius?" he asked quietly.

"I have meetings tomorrow to follow up on some of the tasks that have been set," he admitted. "I was listing which families I thought would be more open to... persuasion" he said carefully. The Dark Lord reached to take the list from him, his eyes unmoving as he glanced at the names.

"These are attempting to remain neutral, my Lord" Lucius told his Master.

"Well, if they are neutral at least they are reluctant to stand behind Dumbledore" he said with a sneer.

"Dumbledore has failed to present them with a convincing argument to join his side"

"Well, we shall have to convince them to see the benefit of joining us then, won't we?" the Dark Lord said, his lips twisting into a smirk. "I will not have anyone remain neutral, Lucius. If they fail to join our cause, then by default, they oppose us - make them aware of this fact"

"Yes, my Lord" Lucius agreed, bowing his head again, relieved that his Master approved of his suggestion.

Another whimper from the corner drew his attention again, Pettigrew hugged his legs tighter as the snake slithered closer. Lucius had no idea what had suddenly prompted the Dark Lord to choose himself a familiar, he didn't dare ask, no one did. Nobody said a word about it, merely accepted it as though it were a perfectly sane and rational addition. It probably did make sense in some capacity - many witches and wizards found themselves a familiar - it was just difficult to accept that their Master had been so inclined. The Dark Lord chuckled menacingly at Pettigrew's reaction, before hissing softly again, the snake obediently returning to its Master's side, hissing something in return, eliciting another malicious laugh in return from the Dark Lord.

"Do keep in mind, if I wanted you dead, Wormtail, you would already be so" he told the boy with a smirk.

"Y... yes, my Lord" Pettigrew stammered.

"The time will come for you to prove your usefulness" their Master assured him.

"Y.. y.. yes, my Lord. Thank you" the boy stuttered again.

"Excellent. In that case, I shall return tomorrow evening, once you have had chance to discuss matters more thoroughly" the Dark Lord said as his attention was once more returned to Lucius.

"Of course, my Lord" Lucius responded with a dip of his head. When he glanced back up, the Dark Lord's eyes were no longer fixed on him, but on the shelf behind him. And he was frowning. _Why?_ "Is something wrong, my Lord?" Lucius asked worriedly. The Dark Lord didn't answer, merely walked slowly around the desk, his eyes still fixed on the shelf as he got closer and closer, until he was close enough to reach out and slide a thin black book into his hands. Lucius frowned as the Dark Lord stared at it, running slender fingers over the cover. The book he'd been entrusted with. Lucius could feel his Master's anger bubbling beneath the calm exterior. This could be dangerous, and he had no idea what was the cause.

The Dark Lord turned the book over in his hands, running his fingers over the nameplate before opening the book and flipping through the pages, his expression becoming more thunderous by the second, the air practically crackling with the rage that was flowing from him. Still the Dark Lord remained silent, placing the book on the desk, open at a seemingly random page. Lucius watched in confusion as his Master grabbed the quill he'd been using a short time ago, letting a drop of ink fall onto the blank paper.

"This is not my book, Lucius" the Dark Lord whispered, glancing over his shoulder at him.

"My Lord?" Lucius asked in confusion.

"I entrusted you with my book, Lucius, a very important book. Where is it?" he asked, turning to make eye contact.

"My Lord, no one has touched your book, I swear" Lucius protested. No one had, no one was ever alone in this room, besides himself and the Dark Lord, even Narcissa didn't come in here alone. Lucius tried to suppress a scream of pain as the Dark Lord entered his mind, viciously tearing through his memories to find out something about the book.

When his Master finally retreated from his mind, Lucius sank to his knees panting, the pain of the sudden invasion now a hideous throbbing in his skull.

"Someone has been in here without your knowledge, Lucius. That is unacceptable" he said in a low voice. A warning. Lucius swallowed nervously.

"Yes, my Lord" he agreed, that was all he could do now.

"I am most disappointed, Lucius. I expected much better from you. You understand, do you not?"

"Yes, my Lord" he panted, his voice barely a whisper. This was not going to go well at all. He closed his eyes as more hissing passed between the Dark Lord and his snake, gritting his teeth as he waited for what he knew would follow.

" _Crucio"_ the Dark Lord finally cried out, Lucius was glad he was already on his knees, the pain in his head now forgotten as his nerves burned as the curse was held. The pain seemed to continue for an eternity, white hot and blinding, he wouldn't be able to see, even if he could open his eyes. Lucius choked out a broken sob when the curse was finally lifted, though he still didn't open his eyes, he didn't want to see what his Master had in mind for him next.

"I trust that next time, you will do better?" the Dark Lord asked him calmly.

"Y.. yes, my Lord. Of course" he answered as steadily as he could, relieved that his voice retained some measure of composure, finally opening his eyes again.

"Now, I have.. other matters to attend to" the Dark Lord said, looking almost distracted as he stepped away from the desk, his steps more hurried as he walked back around. "I shall return tomorrow, Lucius" he warned again, another chance to prove himself. Lucius could only watch as the Dark Lord hurried from the library, hissing at the snake as they left, the door closing behind them with a heavy 'bang'.

Finally, Lucius heaved himself into the chair, picking the book back up. It still looked the same to him, though he'd paid it little attention, and had had no idea what it was, or had been. The Dark Lord had only told him it was to be protected, here, in his library. He hadn't told him why. Lucius didn't need to know why, only follow his orders. And he'd failed. He was surprised he hadn't been punished more severely, but his Master had looked slightly distracted, perhaps even nervous. Lucius wasn't the only one entrusted with one of the Dark Lord's possessions, perhaps he was going to check the other one he'd hidden with Bellatrix. Were they the only two? Or were there others? And if the Dark Lord was worried they were missing, then what exactly were they? They were clearly more than a blank diary and an old cup. But what?

...

Lord Voldemort was beyond worried. For once in his life, he was actually terrified. Terrified that someone had actually discovered what he'd done. Discovered that he'd spent more than thirty years carefully planning his immortality. It was supposed to be perfect. He had chosen each hiding place for a specific purpose, five items that each held significance to him personally. Each item a link to the greatness of the past, the greatness of his history. Proof that he was descended from the most magnificent of the four founders. Those items would ensure that he remained the greatest wizard ever known, for the rest of time itself.

He only had one Horcrux left to create until his plan was ultimately complete. One more until his soul was in seven pieces. That powerful number would only amplify his greatness. And he was _so_ close to achieving that. Once school was over, Severus would not be able to hide behind the walls of Hogwarts, or behind Dumbledore, any longer. Though really, he wouldn't be surprised if the old man would hide behind Severus. Dumbledore chose to place his faith in the boy, seeing greatness and victory where there was none. No. Voldemort would ensure Dumbledore and his precious _chosen one_ would both fall, along with every filthy Mudblood who thought they deserved a place among the pure. They would be wiped out like vermin, a treat for all those of true wizarding descent.

Severus Snape's death would be exquisite. No doubt the boy would put up some sort of fight, his own deluded and inflated self importance after years of taking Dumbledore's lies would likely mean he believed he was currently untouchable. Invincible. Voldemort would show him just how wrong, how foolish he was to flee from him. He could have been great, but he would be killed. Once the deed was done, Voldemort would make his sixth and final Horcrux, ensuring his soul would be tethered here until the end of time. He would conquer death as no wizard had ever done before. His legacy, his work, _He,_ would be a legend. And Nagini would make the perfect place for a piece of his soul, a brilliant representation of Slytherin and all his glory. It was now only a matter of time, a handful of weeks until Severus would flee from the castle.

But tonight, he had other matters to attend to. His visit to Malfoy Manor had uncovered a problem. Potentially, a major one. Of course, he'd checked on his hidden Horcruxes some months ago, shortly after he'd heard the Prophecy. Each one checked had been safe, the only one he had been unsure of was the diadem hidden at Hogwarts, after all, he couldn't just waltz in and check on it. Perhaps that would be something he would have Pettigrew check on, a final chance to do something useful, before disposing of him if he failed again.

He hadn't been expecting to find his Diary had been replaced. Lucius had been telling the truth when he'd said he had no idea, and he'd been particularly brutal with his Legilimency. Someone had to have stolen his Horcrux. But who? And what had they done with it? They'd left a replica in its place, so they were trying to conceal the fact that it was gone. Which in turn, implied that they 'knew what it was'. No. They couldn't. True, he'd been concerned that Severus knew what he'd done, the Prophecy indicated that that may be the case - hence checking on them and moving the Locket to somewhere better protected, no one was getting through those defences. Or at least, they weren't getting out alive, the Inferi would make sure of that, if the potion didn't kill them first. But Severus hadn't left the castle since he arrived last September, his men inside Hogwarts had assured him of that fact. So it certainly wasn't the boy, and he doubted anyone else would have been told, Dumbledore would have insisted on complete secrecy.

He would have Lucius search his Manor from top to bottom to ensure it hadn't been hidden somewhere by another, for whatever reason. In the meantime, he would re-check his hidden treasures, make sure they were safe. His first destination; Little Hangleton. He hadn't checked it last time, the wards he'd cast would have alerted him if anyone had stepped inside them. He was positive it was still there, so it wouldn't take long to check and set his mind to rest. He Apparated to the path outside the miserable dilapidated shack, wrinkling his nose in disgust - the thought that his family, descendents of such nobility had been reduced to living like filthy rats - Mudbloods were treated better than this, offered more opportunities, more protection. Now, the Gaunt's were long gone and it was down to him to keep the noble legacy of Salazar Slytherin alive, his work should continue.

The shack was just as hideous as he remembered, dark, dingy and grimy, overgrown weeds obscuring walls and windows. Voldemort set to removing the wards carefully, pausing as he noticed a different feeling. A different magical 'signature'. Someone had been here. He pushed the door open, his brow furrowed in anger as he stepped inside, stalking through to the main room to the loose floorboard with Nagini keeping herself close. He couldn't feel the presence of the ring, the curse he'd set, he should be able to sense it by now. He knew it was gone. He virtually ripped up the floorboard, using his wand to light inside the hole. Nothing but dust. With a roar of frustration he used his wand to pull up more boards, to confirm that he was right. The ring was definitely gone. No replica left in its place. It was just _gone._

" _Come, Nagini"_ Voldemort hissed in Parseltongue, storming back out into the night with his faithful familiar, turning to launch several blasting curses at the scruffy building, feeling an odd combination of anger and satisfaction at watching it crumble.

" _Someone knows"_ he hissed to Nagini. That was two missing, and two others he could check on tonight. " _What for me here, Nagini"_ he instructed, bending low to stroke her head. " _My next stop is too dangerous for you, I shall return shortly"_ he promised.

" _Nagini will wait"_ the snake hissed in return.

" _If anyone comes, keep them here for me"_ he said, standing to take his leave. He couldn't be sure whether the thieving trespasser had added anything to the wards to alert him of his return. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Dumbledore that had been snooping, interfering old coot was always poking his nose into his business. But how did he find out about this place? There was nothing he could do about it now.

Voldemort attempted to clear his mind, pushing his anger to the side as he Apparated to the cave, his own magic was tied to these wards allowing him to Apparate directly to the rocky stand in the middle of the lake. The first thing that struck him, was the darkness. That was wrong. When he'd left, the potion had given off its own light, casting a green glow on the outcrop. Voldemort lit his wand, peering cautiously around the area, out across the unnaturally still waters, creeping to the edge to look for any potential clues. The black water didn't move in the slightest, no ripples, the sea outside causing no tidal movements inside the cave. There was only the heavy stillness of death. Quite appropriate given what lay beneath the surface, his army of dead waiting to do their duty, to protect the Locket. There was no body on the shore, the old elf borrowed from young Regulus Black would have been dragged below while he attempted to quench his thirst.

Voldemort crept slowly to the stone basin, he almost didn't want to look, didn't want to know that the Locket was missing too. Peering over the lip of the raised bowl, he could see it was completely empty. The potion was gone. And the Locket was gone. Voldemort growled in the back of his throat, blasting the basin, watching as chunks flew in every direction into the murky waters. The disturbance getting the attention of the Inferi. He didn't wait to see what they would do next, he merely Apparated away, back to the spot in the woods where Nagini was waiting for him to return.

" _Master"_ Nagini hissed as Voldemort crouched by her side.

" _Another piece has been stolen, Nagini. We must check the final one"_ he hissed in return. The last one they could check, the one his most loyal was keeping for him.

Voldemort didn't knock when he arrived at the Lestrange's Manor, he opened the door himself and strode purposefully into the hallway. A house elf vanished with a _pop_ before Bellatrix hurried down the grand staircase to greet him.

"My Lord, what an unexpected pleasure" she whispered as she knelt before him, reaching to kiss the hem of his robes.

"I'm afraid to say there is little pleasure in my visit, Bella" he whispered menacingly.

"Is something wrong, my Lord?" she asked quietly, glancing up to meet his eyes as so few others did.

"Dear Lucius has proven most disappointing in one of the tasks set for him - a most important object was left under his protection and this evening I find it has been replaced with a fake" he growled.

"A fake, my Lord?" she asked cautiously, quickly concealing the momentary flicker of fear that flashed across her features.

"The object you have been protecting, it is safe?" he asked.

"Of course, my Lord" she answered confidently. If any of them were safe, it was this one.

"Show me" he commanded, he needed to see it for himself.

"Of course, my Lord," she answered, quickly standing and leading him into one of the wings, down the halls and corridors until they reached her private library, where she kept books she had brought from the Noble house of Black.

Voldemort closed the door with a soft click once Nagini was completely inside, glancing around the room as Bellatrix reached for an object on one of the shelves. He knew it wasn't the Cup before she even presented it to him. She held it in her hands towards him, with her head bowed, waiting for him to accept what she believed was the genuine item. Voldemort let out a heavy breath as he spoke.

"That is not my Cup, Bella" he said quietly, eerily calm.

"My Lord?" she asked, confused as she lifted her head once more.

"That is not my Cup" he repeated, just as calmly, barely keeping his anger suppressed. "Who has been in here?" he asked.

"No one, my Lord" she tried to assure him. Voldemort dove into her memories, just as ruthlessly as he had Lucius'. "Do not block me, Bella" he ordered through gritted teeth, before pushing his way in even harder as she suppressed a shriek. She knew nothing. Whoever had done this, had acted without her knowledge completely. Finally, he let her slump to the floor, she didn't cry out as her knees landed heavily on the hard wooden floor. To her credit she didn't scream, she managed to stop at heavy pants as she quickly pushed herself back up to standing.

"I swear, my Lord, no one has been here" she whispered breathlessly.

"That you know of. Someone has been sneaking around" he suggested.

"How dare they! They disrespect their Master, in my home!" she spat. Yes, she was almost as furious as he was.

"Indeed, Bella. The question remains - Who?" he posed.

"Someone at the last initiation, my Lord?"

"Perhaps. Who would dare? And who has been in both your Manor, and Lucius' in recent times?" he asked as he began to circle her.

"My Lord?"

"Perhaps Dumbledore has sent a spy into our midst" he mused.

"Not possible, my Lord" Bella insisted.

"Anything is _possible._ Perhaps I should pay another visit to Peter Pettigrew - he was initiated here, and is now living under Lucius' roof" he pondered, unlikely as it was.

"That pathetic little worm?!" she spat furiously.

"I agree, he seems most unlikely - but then again, he is a most unlikely Death Eater. Perhaps Dumbledore was counting on precisely that - how could anyone suspect someone so cowardly?" he mused.

"I doubt that lump of a boy could pull off such an act, my Lord"

"Perhaps. Either way, I shall have my answer when I return to Malfoy Manor tomorrow" he told her.

"And tonight, my Lord?"

"I have more important matters to attend to" he answered. " _Come, Nagini"_ he hissed, pushing the door open as Nagini moved to his side.

Voldemort didn't wait to be shown out, and within moments he was back outside in the dark gardens, Apparating back to his own hiding place with his beloved snake. Unfortunately, his plan would have to now be altered. He'd hoped that by using the Chosen One's murder to create his final Horcrux, it would make the magic stronger, having it tied to fate so closely. But now he knew that at least four of his Horcruxes were missing, time was not a luxury he had. True, he didn't know whether they'd actually been destroyed, there were so few ways of destroying them after all, but he couldn't take that chance.

Tomorrow he would interrogate Pettigrew, find out for certain where his loyalties were. If he was not acting on Dumbledore's orders, then he would be given a chance to prove himself - get into Hogwarts and retrieve the Diadem from the Room of Hidden things, if it was still there. Of course, the task would most likely end in failure, but Pettigrew was entirely expendable. He didn't care whether the boy ended up dead or captured, he doubted his skills would come in handy in an actual fight, it was probably best to get him out of the way.

Tonight, he had a ritual to complete. All he needed was a victim, that would be easy enough to find in the nearby town, and then he could create his Horcrux, hiding a piece of his soul inside Nagini. Dumbledore would never think he could use a living being for that purpose, but the old man was always underestimating him. No, Nagini was perfect in more ways than one, she would be unsuspected, and kept so close to him that no one would ever stand a chance of laying a finger on her. And when summer came, he would show Dumbledore and his _Chosen One_ exactly how foolish they'd been.

...

It was yet another beautiful late spring day, May was disappearing just as quickly as he'd predicted it would. NEWT's would begin in a little over two weeks, and as usual, they were revising. Well, Lily was revising. He was still researching. That was pretty much all he'd done, once he'd decided that Lily was right, he needed to come up with more spells, more weapons they could use against Death Eaters who wouldn't hesitate to inflict as much pain as possible on anyone they came into contact with. They needed weapons the Death Eaters didn't know about, spells and curses they couldn't quickly heal for themselves. The Order needed to incapacitate the enemy, even if they had no intentions of killing them.

Research had become his latest obsession now that the Horcruxes were gone, and there were less than six weeks until they'd be moving to the cottage. Hopefully once that happened, they'd get a better plan together for the actual confrontation. He still thought that going on the offensive was the best chance for success, attempt to maintain control of the situation. After all, Voldemort had made it clear that Severus was his target, and until he could get to him he would only send his soldiers out to fight. The War would continue and people would die on both sides. Sooner or later, Severus would either be found by Voldemort, or he would have to be used as bait to bring Voldemort where they wanted him. The second option seemed to be the more sensible choice to him, he didn't want to be taken by surprise.

He tried to push thoughts of war to the back of his mind, at least for the moment, glancing up at Lily from where he lay with his head pillowed in her lap. Lily had her back against the tree, her attention drawn to the book she had on the floor beside her, held open with one hand, the other resting on his chest. She was clearly engrossed in whatever she was reading, her eyes were staring intently at the book, her brow slightly furrowed in concentration. Severus placed his own book beside him for the time being, content to gaze up at her. He was never going to tire of that. It was the only time he felt truly peaceful, able to think of nothing at all as he tried to count the freckles that covered her delicate skin. True, it wasn't easy to do from this angle, but he was more than happy to try.

Severus reached up, gently running the tips of his fingers along the smooth skin of her neck, his thumb brushing gently across her cheek. He was still amazed at just how perfect she was, and at the fact that he was allowed to do this, the only one to touch her beautiful skin. Her eyes met his at the contact from his fingers, her face lighting up in a brilliant smile, happiness seeming to brighten her features from within. He couldn't help but smile in response as her attention turned to him, her book forgotten for the moment as he felt her fingers gently running through his hair.

"How's the revision going?" he finally asked.

"Same as ever, I suppose" she answered with a slight shrug. "Nothing too exciting"

"Mmm, I should do some revision at some point, I suppose" he said, trying not to sigh.

"I'm sure you'll be fine without it," she pointed out. Severus shrugged, he was sure he'd do _ok_ without much revision, as long as he got the grades he needed to move on to the training programme then that was good enough for him. He had other things on his mind that took priority for the moment.

"Perhaps" he finally conceded.

"What about your research? Any more ideas?"

"Actually, yes," he admitted. "I just need a way of testing them out. I don't want to use them in a fight without knowing if they work"

"What kind of thing are you thinking about?" she asked him. Severus sighed, he wasn't sure if she would like it.

"Well, I told you about the reflective shield, I want to work more on that. But I also had an idea, a way of blocking someone's magical ability" he said cautiously.

"Do you think it's even possible? Would it be temporary or permanent?"

"I don't know. I think I'm getting close to figuring it out, but there's still something missing" he told her.

"Well it would be a definite advantage if you can get it to work, we'd be able to stop the Death Eaters from casting any spells at all. It would certainly make it easier to end the War if they can't throw hexes at anyone" Lily said, her expression turning thoughtful. "Or even use a shield charm" she added. Severus nodded. He needed to work on this spell somehow, to see if he could get it to work at all, but it needed absolute secrecy. If the Death Eaters knew he was working on something like this, they would be desperate to get their hands on it - especially if the results turned out to be permanent. It would effectively turn the victim into a squib. In the wrong hands, that would be catastrophic. If he _could_ get it to work, he wouldn't be sharing the incantations, it was too risky.

"So, you need somewhere secret to practice, then?" she asked him.

"Mmm. I was going to ask Dumbledore if he had any ideas, or if he could get hold of a training dummy like the Aurors use"

"That's a good idea, at least you'd have some idea how close you were to figuring things out. Although, what about the room?"

"Room?"

"Where we found the Diadem" she elaborated.

"I don't think we'd find a training dummy in there" he argued.

"Obviously not," she said, rolling her eyes. "But it's not just a room for hiding things, is it?" Lily pointed out with some amusement.

"Well no, it's also a broom cupboard for Potter and his girlfriend to snog in" he answered, wrinkling his nose in disgust at _that_ thought. To his surprise, Lily laughed softly, shaking her head.

"Only because that's what Potter _asks_ it for. He really should ask for something better than a broom cupboard" she laughed.

"Something like a training room?" he asked.

"Mmm, you could try asking for somewhere to practice your spells and see what happens" she suggested.

"I could try asking for somewhere to practice my spells" he repeated slowly. It was certainly worth a try, he wouldn't know until he did.

"Good idea" she muttered, smirking with amusement. Severus rolled his eyes, before closing them again with a sigh as Lily continued to run her fingers through his hair. "Do you want to go and see if it works?"

"After dinner," he answered. "I'm too comfortable to move right now. I just want to lay here for a bit, while we still can"

"That works for me" she told him. Severus sighed again in contentment, more than happy where he was. Yes, he would check out the room this evening, but for a little while he wanted to forget the outside world. The fight wasn't going to go away, but they were safe for the moment, and in their own world beneath their favourite willow tree. This was one place he was going to miss when school was over. With the curtains of leaves surrounding them it was so easy to believe they were the only two people in the world, lying beneath their tree with the sound of birdsong and the soft scent of spring flowers on the breeze, the air cool as it blew in from the lake, gently rustling the leaves. Wherever they lived once the war was over, they should definitely find somewhere with outdoor space. Even in Cokeworth they spent a great deal of time sitting beneath a tree by the river. He was looking forward to seeing more of the cottage, he hadn't seen much on his brief stop on the way to fetch the Locket with Dumbledore, but what he'd seen of it, he liked. Maybe that was somewhere they could spend their future together. Though he couldn't help that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that the cottage seemed familiar.

Severus' thoughts were effectively silenced when he felt Lily's soft lips brushing against his, just for a moment. He opened his eyes to see her sparkling green ones, attempting to act innocent as she bit her bottom lip. There was nothing else he could do, he had to kiss her again. Severus pushed himself to sitting, his fingers brushing against her cheek once again, slipping into her hair as their lips met again, his other hand moving to her hip, fingers lightly brushing the sensitive skin at her waist as she shifted her position. Yes, it was difficult to think of anything at all when they were occupied this way, nothing else mattered except the intoxicating sensation of her lips parting for his, the feel of her skin under his fingers, the feeling of her hands running through his hair and over his chest.

At this moment he didn't want to think about anything else - not the room, not spells, or snakes, or fighting, or figuring out where he knew the cottage from. All of those things could wait until another day.


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80

After checking one last time that he was alone in the corridor, Severus pushed open the door to the unused classroom, relieved to find that Regulus was already waiting for him, leaning against one of the tables. Severus gave a nod in greeting as he locked and warded the door behind himself.

"The Dark Lord is insane," Regulus stated without preamble. Severus wanted to laugh, but managed to contain himself to a raised eyebrow. He'd heard Regulus utter those words before.

"Really? Can't say I'd noticed," Severus retorted sarcastically. Regulus rolled his eyes.

"Well, more insane than usual, then," he conceded.

"Oh? What's he up to now?" Severus asked, wondering what could be learned from today's meeting. They didn't meet on anything like a regular basis, and they both made efforts to not place any labels on what Regulus was doing, what his position was - didn't call him a _spy_ , or _informant._ Though in a roundabout way that was exactly what he was becoming. Regulus had asked to meet him today, and apparently the Dark Lord's behaviour was a concern to the boy.

"Well, he's still hiding, for a start," Regulus began.

"Not so surprising, he's waiting till he gets a clear shot at me," Severus pointed out.

"True, he's still intent on removing you himself to prove that the Prophecy is a load of nonsense."

"It is nonsense," Severus pointed out, though he couldn't say he entirely believed himself even as the words left his mouth. No, now his protests were more out of habit than anything else.

"Well, the Dark Lord has taken it completely to heart - if he _lets_ anyone else kill you, he thinks it will look bad for him. You're supposed to be the one to vanquish him, so he needs to kill you before you do," Regulus explained. Severus already knew that, though the fact that someone else knew about the prophecy's contents sat uneasily with him, especially as Regulus discussed it in such a matter-of-fact manner.

"He thinks if another _removes_ me they could one day remove him?" Severus asked.

"Mmm. He wants to prove he has the greatest power. Removing you himself is his way of sending a message to both sides - the Light will never have a champion, and the Dark should think twice about having someone attempt to take his place."

"What a delightful future we have to look forward to," Severus muttered.

"The reports are true, though."

"Which ones?"

"He has a snake," Regulus confirmed. Severus closed his eyes, forcing himself to take a deep breath and remain calm. They'd already decided to assume that he'd acquired a snake, this only made Lily's role much more real. "I received a letter from Narcissa, she is growing concerned."

"And her husband's pledge to a lunatic wasn't concern enough?" Severus asked, his eyes snapping open to fix on the younger boy again.

"It's not that simple. Your mother escaped Pureblood society and what was expected of her! You don't know what it's like!"

"It didn't exactly work out any better for her," Severus muttered, not wanting to dwell on his mothers youthful choices.

"My point is, Narcissa didn't escape her parent's wishes, after Andromeda left, Narcissa was guarded much more closely, her parents' expectations much higher. And we both know Bellatrix is utterly insane and keeps a close eye on her - she wouldn't think twice about murdering her sister if she felt she was betraying her family."

"True. Narcissa isn't marked?" Severus asked.

"No. The women are rarely marked, so that any children will always have a parent to raise them if the father is killed in battle, or caught and sent to Azkaban" Regulus explained. Severus sighed, it did make some sense all things considered, though the thought of Death Eaters having children of their own was more than a little disturbing.

"I take it Bella is the exception to the rule?"

"Isn't she always?" Regulus snorted.

"So, what concerns Mrs Malfoy, then?" Severus asked, bringing the conversation back around to Regulus' original point.

"Lucius was punished."

"Narcissa was taking quite the risk writing to you with information like that. Besides, I thought that was a regular occurrence, lashing out at his own men?" Severus queried.

"It _was_ risky but family is important to her. And yes, it's _normal_ for the Dark Lord to attack his own men, but Lucius is ranked quite highly, he's not usually subjected to punishments as often as those lower down the pecking order, and he was punished more than once."

"So, what did he fail at? If he was punished he must have failed at something."

"There was something missing, something that belonged to the Dark Lord," Regulus said.

"I see," Severus said quietly. So, he knew about the fake diary then. Well, it had to happen sooner or later.

"I don't suppose this has anything to do with that Cup, does it?" Regulus asked. Severus didn't answer, he wasn't sure how much to confirm. "Or the Locket?"

"It's probably best if you don't know," Severus finally answered.

"They don't suspect me, you know."

"Maybe not now, but one day they could," Severus argued.

"Perhaps, but if he knows these _things_ are missing, wouldn't he be more focussed on replacing them?"

"That's what worries me," Severus admitted.

"Him replacing them?" Regulus asked with a frown. Severus nodded. "Did you have someone take... whatever it was from Lucius' library?" Severus nodded, finally deciding it wouldn't place anyone in more danger. "And you needed it to get rid of the Dark Lord?" Regulus asked.

"I can't get rid of him without it," Severus confirmed.

"Do you think he knows the Cup is missing?"

"Probably," Severus whispered quietly. "If Voldemort found out his Diary had been replaced with a fake, I'm sure the next thing he'd do would be to check his other items were where they were supposed to be. It wouldn't take him long to find out they're not," he explained.

"Then he'll start working his way through suspects?"

"Mmm. How many people have access to both Manor's?"

"Surprisingly few. I think he might have suspected Pettigrew actually," Regulus said quietly.

"You _are_ joking?" Severus almost laughed at the ridiculousness of that statement.

"Narcissa is less than thrilled to have him as a house guest - he's been forced upon the Manor seeing as Lucius was the one to _introduce_ him. So he would have the opportunity to explore Malfoy Manor. His initiation was at the Lestrange's Manor, again giving him the potential to explore."

"I'm sure that night gave plenty of opportunities for exploration. Must have been a hell of a party," Severus smirked.

"Oh yeah, simply thrilling," Regulus grinned back, no doubt thinking about the fact that it had been _him_ searching out the Cup that very night.

"So, did he think Dumbledore sent him as a spy? Or did he believe him to simply have sticky fingers?"

"I don't know. Neither scenario is at all likely - if he'd been a spy, why would Dumbledore have handed him over to the Aurors? He couldn't have known that the Death Eaters would break him out of Azkaban," Regulus pointed out.

"True, and if he was simply a thieving git, it's highly unlikely that those two items alone would have been taken," Severus added. "I guess he'll be given another task to prove himself then, assuming the Dark Lord didn't simply kill him," he said, a voice at the back of his mind reminding him to make sure the Marauders were keeping their eyes on the Map, just in case Pettigrew raised his ugly head at Hogwarts again.

"That would be a safe assumption to make," Regulus confirmed. "I will, of course, let you know if I hear anything," he added. Severus nodded in response, grateful that there was someone who could at least pass along information, no matter how small the amount may be.

"So, how's Sirius? I've noticed the Marauders talking to you more often," Regulus asked. Severus wanted to groan.

"He's... well... he's concerned about you," he deflected.

"Me?"

"They know we meet from time to time, no doubt they already know we're meeting now."

"So..."

"He's hoping I'm trying to get you to see the error of your ways," he said amusedly.

"He trusts you?" Regulus asked with a frown.

"He trusts that I'm on the same side as he is. He does care about you, sickening as that thought may be," Severus grimaced.

"He's such a jackass," Regulus muttered, a touch of fondness creeping into his tone.

"True."

"What have you told him? About me?"

"I haven't told him anything, I'll let him make his own assumptions."

"He's fighting? With Dumbledore?"

"He will be."

"Just make sure he doesn't kill me, yeah?" he smirked. Severus snorted. "So you're not planning on taking Pettigrew's place as fourth Marauder?" he grinned.

"Don't insult me," Severus snapped, very much disturbed by that thought. Though he couldn't deny, since the boys had joined the training sessions with Ainscott, much of the old tensions had disappeared. It was oddly unsettling, but not entirely loathsome, the idea that he could have conversations with them, even without Lily present as some sort of mediator. Regulus laughed openly, while Severus sighed and shook his head.

"You might want to keep your eye on Avery and Wilkes," Regulus said when his laughter faded.

"I thought I wasn't a target to the Death Eaters?"

"They won't kill you, but I can't promise they won't hurt you to try and piss you off - especially with NEWT's starting so soon," Regulus told him.

"Bloody idiots," Severus mumbled.

"They might target Evans - that would be more likely considering her... background," Regulus said. Severus groaned in annoyance at the reminder that she was in danger, in part due to her connection to him, and in part due to her blood status.

"You might want to suggest they reconsider - Dumbledore won't hesitate to turn them over to MLE when they get caught - and they will get caught. Their Master wouldn't be pleased to have his minions in Azkaban, regardless of their skills, and I doubt he intends to launch another prison break. Pettigrew should be enough of a warning."

"I'll remind them of the facts, but I can't guarantee they'll reconsider - they are _idiots,_ as you've already pointed out."

"Fair enough. Well, I'll watch my back and urge Lily to do the same."

"Well, until next time then," Regulus said as Severus removed the locks and spells he'd placed on the room, watching in silence as he left without a second glance, leaving him alone to contemplate what he already suspected - Voldemort had a snake. And it seemed likely he was aware that his Horcruxes were missing, making it more certain that he'd turned the snake into a Horcrux already, far earlier than the memories indicated. Now he'd altered so much of what he'd seen, the future seemed more uncertain than ever before. He had no idea if they would fail or succeed in the weeks and months to come. And that made him nervous.

...

Remus could feel himself slowly coming back to consciousness. He was still exhausted, every bit of his body ached. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, really not wanting to wake up and take in his surroundings. He knew where he would be, even if the location was temporary, he'd have to go back to the shack again, no matter how much he hated the place.

"How are you feeling, Mr Lupin?" Madam Pomfrey's voice enquired softly, the curtains surrounding his bed swishing gently as she made her way to his bedside.

"Urghh..." Remus was only able to make some sort of groan in his throat.

"Not too good, then," she stated simply. Remus would have laughed at the understatement if he'd been able. He had to settle for finally opening his eyes, blinking in the soft light. Madam Pomfrey had her wand drawn, waving it over him for an update. Nothing was ever going to change for him, and a rather large part of him was worried exactly how he was going to cope with his condition once Hogwarts was over. _Condition,_ his mind snorted at him. _Werewolf,_ it supplied for him, not that he could ever forget that fact. He'd forgotten what it was like to _not_ change his entire being every full moon, he'd been so young when he was bitten. He only knew the bone deep exhaustion that came with the forced transformations, and the constant battle his human self fought with the monster that lurked beneath the surface. Some days progressed in a fairly straight forward manner, some days it was a struggle to keep putting one foot in front of the other, to keep breathing in and out. Utterly pointless. He didn't exactly have a future to look forward to, no hope of employment. Who would take a werewolf onto their staff? If they did, he'd be a token at best. He knew what he was. A burden. A threat. A danger. But he kept fighting against the wolf regardless, didn't want to be a victim of the darkness.

Remus had bandaged arms again, the wolf had been trapped and alone this time, James and Sirius hadn't come to the shack with him, they hadn't let him out to run around the Forbidden Forest. It wasn't fair to keep doing that, they knew it was only a matter of time before the wolf overpowered the other two - their influence would only go so far. The three of them were being much more closely observed in recent times, especially with the war building. They'd had trust placed in them by Dumbledore when he extended the invitation to join the Order, the opportunity to begin training. Ainscott was trusting them, by training them alongside the other new members. Severus was trusting them too, and that surprisingly seemed to be their biggest concern - the boys had always been able to use their charm and talk teachers around whenever they'd been caught in their pranks and misadventures. That would never work on Snape. They obviously wouldn't be in the training sessions if it wasn't for Severus, he'd been working with Dumbledore for years, they didn't want to mess that up.

In some respects, he'd been spoiled here at Hogwarts. He never thought he'd be able to even attend, tried not to think of that possibility as a child. But the Headmaster had surprised him, going out of his way to provide a safe place for him to transform, away from students and the nearby village. True, the shack had become more derelict over the years, thanks to his monthly rampages as the wolf was trapped there. But everyone was safe, including himself. For the most part, anyway.

When he arrived at Hogwarts all those years ago, Remus had been certain that he would never make friends. If he didn't get close to anyone, he'd never have to reveal his secret and suffer from the rejection that would definitely follow. No one could ever knowingly, willingly, be friends with a werewolf. Of course, he'd been completely wrong about that too. James Potter and Sirius Black had made keeping himself isolated impossible. They'd cemented themselves at his side, a little trio of friends. Well, it had been a quartet for so many years. The Marauders. They'd never expected Peter's life to take such a drastic turn at any point, never mind how quickly it happened. The three of them tried not to talk about their missing fourth member, though he knew each of them thought about him, wondered what had happened. Wanted to know _why?_

The Marauders didn't really exist anymore, the three of them were the only ones in the boys dorm for their year and were closer than ever, they couldn't bear to lose another member. But now, the other two boys had long term girlfriends that accompanied them a great deal during free sessions and study. And of course, they spent an increasing amount of time with Severus and Lily. At first, their presence had felt rather odd and more than a little strained, but it was definitely easier to hold a conversation with Severus these days. Yes, he was still sarcastic, but he was the same with everyone, and was amusing if you didn't take it too personally. And although the boys would hate to admit it, he suspected they were beginning to like the Slytherin boy, they were certainly keen to work with him in the training sessions.

Remus winced involuntarily as Madam Pomfrey applied more dittany to his fresh wounds before re-doing the bandages. Not that they would ever fully heal, they would leave scars just like all the other injuries he'd done to himself in his wolf form.

"There you go, dear. All done," she told him kindly as she re-fastened the last bandage.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," he whispered, his mind once again wandering to the future. This was another aspect that had spoiled him. After his transformations there was always someone waiting to tend any wounds he may have acquired, along with a soft bed and an almost endless supply of potions to assist in his recovery. What would he do once away from Hogwarts? Would he even be able to survive? It was a depressing thought to say the least. Perhaps he'd be killed in the coming war. Perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Die a heroes death in battle, rather than becoming a pariah from society, slowly sinking further into misery and darkness.

Remus sighed, closing his eyes again, barely for a second before they were jarred open by the noise the hospital doors made as they were suddenly pushed open. Madam Pomfrey made a noise of annoyance as she moved outside of the curtains to see to the new arrivals.

"He might not even be awake yet, Padfoot," he heard James saying in a loud whisper.

"No harm in seeing though, Prongs," Sirius answered him.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" Madam Pomfrey enquired, definitely in a no-nonsense mood today.

"We just came to check on Remus, Madam Pomfrey," James told her. "If that's ok," he added. Remus heard footsteps approaching again before the curtain was pulled aside, revealing Madam Pomfrey, James and Sirius' faces grinning as they peered over her shoulder.

"Visitors for you, Mr Lupin. Five minutes only, mind you," she warned. Remus nodded weakly, smiling at his friends as best he could as she disappeared, leaving the three alone. James settled himself on the chair beside the bed, Sirius, unsurprisingly, sprawled across the bottom of his bed, almost like a dog would. Remus suppressed his amusement at that thought, he didn't think Sirius would appreciate that image.

"You look like hell, Moony," Sirius finally spoke after glancing him over.

"Thanks," Remus said, rolling his eyes. Had he expected any different?

"How are you feeling, mate?" James asked in a more concerned tone than Sirius had spoken in.

"Like I've been trampled by a hippogriff," he said with a snort.

"Just the one?" Sirius asked casually.

"All right, a herd of them. Happy now?"

"Yeah, ecstatic," Sirius answered sarcastically.

"I'll be fine once I've slept it off," Remus pointed out.

"Nothing like beauty sleep, eh princess?" Sirius grinned.

"You'd know," James put forward. Out of all of them, Sirius was always the one that wanted the most sleep, and the one who spent the most time on his appearance, and that hadn't changed with the presence of girlfriends in their lives.

"You should have let us come with you, Remus," James finally said.

"We've already been through this," Remus sighed. "For a start, NEWT's are a matter of days away, you can't be spending time romping around the forest," he pointed out.

"A night or two won't hurt," Sirius argued.

"It's not just that, we also need to be more responsible," Remus said. Sirius groaned. "I know you don't want to hear it, but it's true! We can't afford to take any risks right now."

"I know, mate, I know," James said. "It doesn't mean we like it though."

"Fair enough," he conceded. "Any problems last night?"

"None that we noticed," James told him. They'd taken to watching the map in shifts, looking out for signs of Pettigrew attempting to enter the castle again, or signs of trouble brewing for Severus and Lily. Nobody wanted them ambushed by the Slytherins, even if their attacks wouldn't be fatal. At least if someone was watching they could come and assist, or fetch a teacher to intervene. Though in reality, he suspected that Severus could handle himself against anyone inside the school already, he was certainly able to protect himself in the training sessions. He was quite scary when he was in that _zone._ Remus almost pitied anyone that would truly stand against him in battle. Almost.

"I thought I caught scent of Peter, in the shack," Remus said quietly, not entirely sure if he had, the vast majority of the night was vague and blurry at best.

"His scent will be there though, won't it?" James asked uncertainly.

"We've been there since... _since,_ " _since he left us. Since he went to Azkaban. "_ And none of us noticed anything," Remus pointed out.

"It was a fresh scent?" Sirius asked sharply, sitting upright, a frown on his normally relaxed features.

"I can't be sure, but I think so. It's a bit hazy though. If he _was_ there, it's probably good you two didn't come with me," Remus told them.

"The last thing we need is for Padfoot to get scent of him and go running off on a mission," James said.

"Hey!" Sirius protested.

"Tell me honestly, if you thought Wormtail was there, you'd go right after him, wouldn't you?" James asked. They all knew that was true, Sirius had become angrier about Peter as time went on. Eventually Sirius gave an annoyed growl.

"Do you think that's why you scratched yourself?" Sirius asked.

"Probably," Remus admitted, that would make sense. His wolf form would have gone nuts trying to get at the one who betrayed their _pack._ "Don't do anything stupid, though. Just keep watching the map," he instructed.

"Yes, boss," Sirius grinned, leaning back on his elbow.

"I mean it, if he's around we'll wait for him to come to us. No running off into the forest on a merry little adventure," Remus said firmly. Sirius and James exchanged grins, they really could be such children sometimes.

"Yes, Dad," James grinned. Remus sighed. "No, don't worry, we get it, honestly."

"Maybe we should let Snape know too," Sirius added.

"That's not a bad idea," Remus agreed.

"You sound surprised, Moony. I'll have you know I've had some very _good_ ideas in my time."

"Of course," Remus smirked.

"Time's up, gents," Madam Pomfrey's voice suddenly cut in, giving Sirius an exasperated look as she saw him casually reclining on Remus' hospital bed. "Honestly, Mr Black," she sighed.

"Don't worry, Moony, you can leave it with us," James said as he stood to leave.

"Yeah, safe hands and all that," Sirius added, hopping off the bed, giving the matron his best charming grin as he followed James away and out of the hospital wing.

"Safe hands indeed," Madam Pomfrey tutted, fussing with the dishevelled blankets. "That boy behaves like an over excited puppy," she said, shaking her head.

"I can't argue with that," Remus laughed, settling himself back down, gratefully accepting the vial of Dreamless Sleep Madam Pomfrey had brought for him. He closed his eyes as he was left alone again, hoping to get a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep. He hoped that the vague memory of Peter's scent had been incorrect, but he suspected it wasn't. Peter had surprised them so unpleasantly in the last year, they couldn't let him surprise them again. If Peter was hiding nearby, they would find him, they would see his name on the map if he strayed too close to the caste, or if he tried to get inside. They would be ready for him. And he didn't want to know what would happen when Sirius got his hands on him.

...

Lily and Severus sat in the Headmaster's office, carefully sipping the tea Dumbledore had prepared for them. Dumbledore sat in his usual chair behind the large wooden desk, slightly reclined as he sipped delicately from his own teacup. The light from the window was an eerie grey, the weather had turned gloomy and overcast after a few days of sunshine.

"I hear your parents have settled into the village," Dumbledore finally began.

"Yes, Sir. They really seem to love it there," she agreed, offering him a smile.

"That's good to hear. Some of my friends have taken them under their wing, as it were," he told them.

"What will happen when we join them?" Severus asked.

"The cottage will go under the Fidelius, I would suggest myself as secret keeper. The location will not be revealed unless necessary," he told them. Lily nodded slowly, taking another sip of her tea.

"Will we be able to leave the cottage at all?" she asked. "I mean, can we walk around the village?"

"The garden will certainly be safe, so you won't literally be _cooped up_ inside until the war is over," Dumbledore told them.

"Sitting in the garden is not the same thing as being able to go anywhere, is it?" Severus asked.

"It's not, I agree."

"We can't hide forever," Severus stated simply.

"No," Dumbledore sighed. "Though I don't think it's wise to reveal your location immediately."

"I'm not suggesting we do. All I'm saying is, sooner or later it might be best to do so," Severus said quietly. "The war will continue until he gets what he wants. Me."

"You," Dumbledore agreed, his expression sad. "Unfortunately I believe you are correct," he added with a sigh.

"Is there really any point to us hiding at all?" Lily asked. "Won't it be safer for my parents if we're kept separate? If they find us, my parents won't be able to fight," she argued. It made more sense to keep away, not accidentally lead the Death Eater's to them.

"You should join them, Lily, if only for a short time. Once you are both away from Hogwarts we'll be able to see how Voldemort responds, and what he intends to do. That will allow us to come up with a plan to end this" Dumbledore told her.

"But what if we can't end this? What happens when September arrives?" she asked. That still bothered her. As Severus had just said, they couldn't hide forever, living in limbo while the world outside continued without them.

"I suspect we'll have found a way to end things by then," Dumbledore said.

"But what if it's not?" she asked.

"It will be over by then, Lily. One way or another, it will end this summer," Severus said quietly. Lily turned to look at him, but he wouldn't meet her eyes, only kept his gaze fixed on his tea cup.

"So, we just hide until we have a plan, then?" she whispered.

"Yes, for the moment, I'm afraid patience is still required," Dumbledore nodded. "Your mother is still planning on joining you there, Severus?"

"She is," he confirmed.

"I dare say she's looking forward to a change in scenery," Dumbledore said with an amused twinkle in his eye. "And perhaps, a slightly quieter household," he smiled.

"Slightly?" Severus snorted. Lily smiled, it was definitely going to be quieter in the cottage than in a house with five small boys.

"It will be alright, Severus," Dumbledore said.

"In the end, yes, it will be," Severus agreed.

"So, are you both ready for your NEWT's?" the Headmaster enquired.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Lily answered honestly. They'd done all they could now, all they had to do was sit their exams and hope for the best.

"It's not easy to concentrate on revision, with everything else going on, but I think we've done what we can," Severus said.

"I have no doubts you'll both do excellently. You've both succeeded academically in your years here, no reason to suspect your NEWT's will bring you any difficulties," Dumbledore smiled.

"I hope you're right, Sir." Lily smiled back.

"Just focus on one thing at a time. All will be well," he assured them.

"I'll just try not to think about Voldemort, Death Eaters, Horcruxes, the snake, and everything else," Severus said, suppressing a snort.

"That will not be easy, I know, but try not to dwell on it more than is necessary. You will have to think of all these things soon enough," Dumbledore told him.

"I know, but I think about things _more_ now some of our concerns have been confirmed," Severus admitted.

"That is only natural. We had hoped that Voldemort would remain ignorant for much longer. Indeed, we hoped he would never discover his Horcruxes were missing at all. However, all evidence points to him knowing at least some are gone - given what young Mr Black told you about Lucius Malfoy. After finding the Diary to be a fake, I'm sure his next step would be to check the others were safe. He would have easily found the Cup to be a fake, and the Locket missing."

"And he would have gone back to the shack to check on his ring," Severus pointed out.

"Indeed, the shack is now in ruins."

"Ruins? You've been back there?" Lily asked.

"I did, after Severus told me what he knew a few days ago. All that remains is rubble. I'm sure Voldemort did not take kindly to finding the ring absent,"

"So he tore the place down?" Severus asked.

"He does have rather a temper at times," Dumbledore said with a raised eyebrow.

"You make him sound like a toddler having a tantrum," Lily pointed out. Severus snorted.

"That's one way of putting it. Power and emotional instability doesn't exactly make for a good combination," Severus said.

"Very true. He is only going to become more unstable, more suspicious as time goes on."

"Until he's removed me," Severus said.

"Until _you_ remove him," Dumbledore corrected gently.

"That doesn't make me feel any better, Sir," Severus said. Lily reached to squeeze his hand gently.

"No. But we must have faith. You have the strength to do this, Severus," Dumbledore told him. And Lily agreed. Severus could do this, he had to.

"Sometimes I'm not so sure," Severus admitted quietly.

"Never forget, this is not your fight alone," Dumbledore said. "You have me and the Order, you have Lily. We will all fight together," she squeezed his fingers again in silent reassurance.

"I know," he sighed.

"Dare I say, there are others who would support you. You have become much closer to a certain group of Gryffindor boys in recent times."

"Training with them hasn't been as awful as I expected it to be," he admitted. Dumbledore looked amused at his response as Lily tried to fight back a smile. There was no way Severus was going to admit that he was actually coming close to forming friendships with what remained of the Marauders.

"That's good to know," Dumbledore smiled.

"Actually, I was wondering whether they should be brought further into the loop."

"Oh? What do you wish to discuss with them?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"Mainly the snake. We know he has one now, that's definite. And given that he knows the Horcruxes are gone it's likely he's turned the snake into one - just as the memories suggested. The three of them are aware of a Prophecy, and Lupin was with Lily when Trelawney spoke of her role with removing the snake."

"You think I'll need help?" Lily asked, not sure whether she should be relieved or offended.

"No, I don't think you need _help._ I just think it's time for someone else to know. It will give you someone else to talk to about everything."

"And you too, you need to talk, Severus."

"Perhaps. In any case, it can't hurt to have more support. And when the fight comes, the more prepared they are, the better" he argued. It seemed strange, hearing him talk about sharing information with others, he'd always been so guarded. But it would be useful to have others aware, just in case something happened. Just because Trelawney said that she would get rid of the snake, it didn't mean that it would actually happen that way. It was going to be chaos, and the snake had to be removed before Voldemort, or it would be pointless.

"Very well, Severus," Dumbledore finally said."I trust your decisions, as I have trusted you all along in this. If you believe it to be beneficial to share with a few others, I shall leave it in your hands. Just, think carefully about what exactly you share," he cautioned.

"I have no intentions of discussing the memories with anyone except Lily," Severus told him. She still hoped he would share all the memories eventually, but she wouldn't pressure him. She trusted him completely and knew he wasn't withholding things because he didn't trust her. He just found it too hard, too upsetting to talk about. He didn't like making himself vulnerable, even with her.

"Very well. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

Severus shook his head, and with that, it seemed the discussion was over for today as the three of them exchanged pleasant 'goodbyes'. Lily and Severus set their now empty teacups down on the desk before heading out of the office.

In a matter of minutes, they were safely concealed in the sanctuary of Severus' room. The two sat side by side on the floor with their backs against the bed, hands clasped together tightly.

"So you want to tell them about the snake?" she asked quietly.

"Mmm, I just think it might be good, for both of us," he said. "What do you think?"

"I agree. It's going to be tough enough as it is. It can't hurt for someone else to have an idea about what needs doing. Just in case," she said. _Just in case she couldn't do it._

"Mmm. Just in case," he agreed quietly.

"So, you knew about the snake from the memories," she said, he'd already told her that.

"It was clear it was a Horcrux from discussions I saw."

"With Dumbledore?"

"Mmm."

"How do I get rid of it? The other Horcruxes have had to be removed with Fiendfyre, or the goblin dagger of Dumbledore's."

"Well, the other Horcruxes are - _were_ \- inanimate objects. They had to be destroyed beyond any hope of magical repair. I assume with a living creature, it just needs to be killed," he said.

"Right. Just need to kill it," she whispered. She didn't like it. Maybe that's why he wanted others to know, in case she wasn't strong enough to do it herself. "How was it killed before? In the memories?" she asked.

"That's not something I know," he said. "The snake killed me, remember?" he added gently.

"Oh God! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, turning to face him.

"Don't be. That was the first memory I received, we haven't talked about it in a very long time. Unsurprisingly, it's not something I really like to dwell on," he told her.

"I didn't think -" she was silenced with his finger on her lips, before he leaned in to kiss her softly, smiling a little smugly as he pulled away.

"I told you, you don't need to be sorry. It's one of the things I _choose_ not to bring up."

"It won't happen this time," she assured him, her eyes still staring intently at his face.

"I know. You will end the reign of the snake. You'll do it," he said confidently.

"And you'll get rid of You-Know-Who. Team work."

"Team work," he agreed, smiling as he spoke.

"We can do this," she added.

"Yeah, we can" he said as he shifted his position, moving to slip his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close against his side. Yes. They could do this. And they would. It wouldn't be long now.


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Peter Pettigrew scurried quickly in the undergrowth, desperately trying to find food and somewhere hidden to sleep for the night. He hadn't dared to change back to his usual self since arriving a few days ago. If any of the Hogsmeade residents caught sight of his face, they would surely put him in a body bind and summon the Aurors. He'd seen the 'wanted' posters, everyone knew he was a Death Eater, maybe they wouldn't even bother with a body bind, maybe they'd just kill him and tell the Aurors they'd acted in self defence. The Aurors wouldn't care whether that was the truth or not, they'd only view it as one less Death Eater to worry about.

He shivered as he burrowed his way amongst the thick roots at the bottom of a leafy hedge. Summer was coming but the night time air had a definite chill. Hopefully he'd only be here for a couple of days at the most. He'd been given a job to do, and with any luck he'd soon have a plan. He needed to complete his task this time and return to Malfoy Manor with a dusty old tiara. What the Dark Lord wanted with old jewellery was beyond him, perhaps he was insane after all. He'd punished Malfoy for losing an old book, that wasn't normal behaviour for their Master.

Peter still had a lot to prove to the Dark Lord, and to the other followers. Currently, he was just about as low in the ranks as it was possible to be, he had to answer to everyone. And he hated it. He'd thought declaring himself to the Death Eaters was going to bring him a little power, a little safety. All it had brought so far was pain and humiliation. The first task he'd been personally set by the Dark Lord had been a failure. He'd been caught in McGonagall's office - embarrassingly while they were both in their Animagus forms - and immediately handed over to the Aurors. They'd wasted no time in shipping him off to Azkaban as soon as they spotted his Master's brand on his arm. He honestly hadn't expected Dumbledore to hand him over like that, he let other marked men stay in the school. He'd expected another chance. Dumbledore had given him chances before, asked him to reconsider his loyalties, to think of his friends, his mother. Apparently attempting to peek at records made him enough of a threat to the other students, his chances had finally run out.

His only regret now was that he'd never see his Mum again. The thought that her only son was on the 'wrong' side in this war, had been sentenced to Azkaban, would be too much for her to bear, he had no doubt he'd have been disowned. He knew she'd still love him, but she wouldn't like him anymore. When he left Malfoy Manor he'd almost Apparated to her, just to see her one last time. He quickly abandoned that idea, knowing that it would only draw the attention of the Death Eaters or the Dark Lord himself. He might have made some thoroughly stupid choices in the last few years, but he wasn't going to lead a madman to her door.

Azkaban had been awful; cold, damp and depressing. The sobs and wails from the other prisoners echoed off the thick stone walls. The Dementors that glided through the prison kept everyone locked in a pit of despair conjured by their own minds. The human guards shoved bits of stale bread and cups of murky water through the bars at irregular intervals. All Peter had been able to do was sit in a dark corner, hugging his knees to his chest, rocking back and forth as he sobbed and cried and prayed for death. Death had to be a better option than the Hell that was Azkaban.

And then, the unthinkable had happened. Something he'd never contemplated, never dreamed about because it was so utterly futile. He escaped. Well, he was broken out of the pit by Death Eaters. The Dark Lord had sent his men to free his incarcerated followers. It hadn't seemed real. He'd remained cowed in his corner as the door was blasted off, covered his ears as he tried to block out the screams of the men that fell, block out the noise of the curses that were thrown, screwed his eyes up tight so he didn't see the flashes of green as men died. He just knew that a streak of green would be aimed at him in a matter of seconds. But he'd been wrong. A strong hand had firmly grabbed his tattered clothes, dragging him to his feet. Within seconds he'd been pulled from his tiny dank cell and was running, following his rescuer out of the stone prison to a waiting boat. The boat had barely been big enough for everyone, the dark waves rocked it easily, tossing it around in the black night. As soon as they were outside the wards, he'd been Apparated to Malfoy Manor, to be punished by his Master. He almost wished he'd been left to rot in his cell. Or that a flash of green had been aimed at his chest. Almost.

But he was a fucking coward and he knew it. Once the punishment was over, he was glad he still lived. Not that he would have a life. Malfoy barely spared a glance in his direction, he was mostly ignored, left to continue his rocking and sobbing. Until that night.

That night, the Dark Lord was angry with Malfoy, for losing a book. He'd never even heard anyone mention that book until the moment their Master realised the one on the shelf was apparently a fake. Malfoy had been punished after having his thoughts ransacked, while Peter cringed away from Nagini. Even the bloody snake seemed amused at his pitiful behaviour as she hissed at their Master, moving to the Dark Lord's side when he hissed in response. The discussions in Parseltongue did nothing to alleviate anyone's nerves.

Then he'd left, taking the hideous reptile with him as he went about his business. Only then, could Peter relax. Malfoy wasn't in the frame of mind to keep up with his sneers, his looks of disgust and contempt. Malfoy had made himself busy, clearly distracted by thoughts of the fake book, muttering endlessly to himself as he tried to figure out what had happened. He'd spent the night searching, desperately hoping to find the real one hidden away somewhere. Though, that wouldn't make any sense, surely it would only be moved if the Dark Lord had ordered it. He would have expected that one to be a fake if he had, he'd know who had the real one. No, the real one was gone.

Yes, that night, Peter had thankfully been left alone to wallow in his fear and self pity. The next night, he wasn't so lucky. The Dark Lord had returned and punished Malfoy again before his attention was firmly on Peter. He'd ruthlessly torn through his mind and memories, questioning him about the book and about his initiation - what did he get up to after he'd been marked and the Dark Lord had left the Manor? He was questioned about a Cup. A Cup that was missing from the Lestrange's. Of course, he knew absolutely nothing about either of those items. Nothing at all. The Dark Lord had questions - about his loyalties, about Dumbledore, about _Snivellus_. The Dark Lord was worried he'd brought a spy into his midst. Obviously he hadn't. There was no way Peter Pettigrew could ever be a spy. He didn't have the necessary skills, abilities or intelligence to pull that off. He knew that, he was aware of his limits.

Eventually, the Dark Lord was satisfied that Peter genuinely belonged to him, that he was his to command. And set him a new task. Peter still hadn't been forgiven for failing before and now he needed to prove his usefulness. His Master had given him very specific instructions. He told him of a secret room, just around the corner from Gryffindor tower; a room that could only be accessed in a very specific manner, a room that only appeared in response to a very specific request. He supposed that was why the Marauders had never found it and added it to the map. Of course, the map was the main reason he was afraid to return. There was a chance that his former friends were watching it. He could only hope that they were too busy with NEWT's to watch for him sneaking back into the castle.

Peter didn't have any choice but to obey, he couldn't go against the Dark Lord's orders. If he wasn't able to complete his task, show he had some use, he would be killed. So now, he found himself sneaking around Hogsmeade, waiting for the perfect opportunity to make his way into the castle through one of the hidden tunnels. He'd hoped to remain hidden at the Shrieking Shack, but with his stay in Azkaban and his subsequent liberation, he'd lost track of time. He'd failed to realise it was a full moon until he'd heard Moony. He'd barely managed to hide himself as the other boy had transformed into the werewolf. The wolf knew he was there and he went crazy, roaring and tearing at furniture and walls as he attempted to reach him.

Peter had quickly fled, eager to get away from the raging beast. He didn't dare go back to the shack now. If Moony remembered him being there at all, he would surely rope the others into visiting the shack again in the hopes of catching him, Padfoot would certainly track him if that was the case. And there was no way he could hide in the Forbidden Forest, far too many creatures he'd need to hide from there. It was too risky. Too dangerous.

Peter had to find some way of getting into the secret room and locating this tiara - this Diadem - and return it to the Dark Lord. For whatever reason, his Master wanted it, and wanted it _now._

...

"This place is amazing, Sev!" Lily exclaimed as he showed her the room he'd asked for.

"I know," he agreed. This was the first opportunity he'd had this week to show her properly. She'd come with him at the weekend when they'd decided to test her theory and see what the room could create for them, for him, to put some of his ideas to the test.

It had been a busy week in school, allowing them little time for extracurricular interests. They'd had so much work in preparation for their exams that Severus was beginning to wonder if anyone would actually pass them. Everyone was becoming more anxious. And yet, he still couldn't entirely focus on studying, even though he knew he should. He tried to push thoughts of Voldemort out of his head, at least, temporarily so he could concentrate and work on his own future until he had no other choice but to fight.

Lily was anxious too, though she actually did a better job of hiding it. Or more precisely, she did a better job in focussing on studying. She was better at remaining optimistic that they had a future to prepare for. She clung to what Trelawney had first said about him - that he would succeed. Her faith in him kept her going. She believed that Severus would win, he was the chosen one and would vanquish the Dark Lord once and for all. He wanted her to be right. He couldn't let her down. He couldn't let her die. He wouldn't. He couldn't witness that again, it would break him.

So for him, his current focus was still preparing to face Voldemort. Nothing else mattered if he couldn't defeat him, they wouldn't have a future at all. As such, exams still seemed utterly pointless. His mind was filled with ideas and theories for new spells, new weapons to use against the darkness. He did the minimum required to get through his classes, to give him as much time as possible for his own research. He'd been back to the room while Lily was otherwise occupied, either with Prefect duties, or helping one of her friends with their studies. He'd remained in the room until after curfew, carefully sneaking back to his own room when exhaustion caught up with him and forced him to sleep, however restless that sleep may be.

At least no new memories came to him. He wasn't always sure that was a good thing though. In some ways it was reassuring, it meant there were no other Horcruxes hidden, no especially nasty surprises or horrific events that needed to be altered. And he was glad he didn't have to witness any more of the other Severus' life, it was clear from what he had seen that it hadn't been a happy one. It looked like it had been filled with misery, loneliness and anger. And death. Once alone, _tha_ t Severus had turned to the Death Eaters, serving Voldemort genuinely, at least, for a short time. He'd seen torture and murder, had committed that offence at least once. He was grateful that he hadn't had to witness himself carry out that act, even if it had been under Dumbledore's orders. He didn't need to see that. But how many others had _that_ Severus harmed? He needed to let go of the guilt he carried, they weren't his crimes to claim. He'd never tortured anyone, never murdered anyone, so why did he carry those feelings around like the burden was his? Why did he feel the need for redemption? Was he trying to redeem the _other_ Severus too with his actions? Perhaps.

Perhaps the fear that he could have become like the other man was what drove him. Both versions of himself had been getting close to the other Slytherins, the ones that wanted to join the Dark Lord, he'd been ignoring Lily's concerns and pushing her away with his actions while she had pleaded with him to reconsider, to stay by her side as her best friend. She'd obviously cared about him, even then, and his choices were hurting her and forcing her closer to a decision she didn't want to make. And he'd been blind to that. He hadn't thought he was worthy of being with her in any capacity, and he certainly never believed she could love him, not the way he loved her. _That_ Severus had continued his misguided search for power and respect, because if he became stronger, could fight off his bullies, could stop his father punching him for the hell of it, maybe he would be worthy of her. In his ignorance, he'd never considered that his choices would make her throw her hands up in surrender and walk away forever.

He had been so close to walking the same path. The memories he'd seen, the darkness he'd endured, the wrongs he'd done - they might not have been his mistakes to claim. But they _could_ have been. And that thought terrified him. Those memories had woke him up in more ways than one. They had shown him what was truly important. Shown him everything he didn't want to become, and everything that he would lose. He wouldn't let himself walk the same road. He would fight for what was right, he would prove to everyone that he was a good man, that he was worthy. One day, the guilt would go. Perhaps when he'd actually finished what he set out to do, when he defeated Voldemort, he would stop over thinking everything and just _be._

Not for the first time, he found himself actually wanting to talk more about the memories. But not now, it still wasn't the right time, he didn't want to burden Lily any further at this moment. Once NEWT's were over, once they were in the cottage, they would have plenty of time to discuss things. He would discuss all the memories, try and make sense of them, and put some of them to rest, trusting that Lily would always be by his side to listen. True, he could talk to Dumbledore, he knew the Headmaster would have the best intentions towards him and would be there to provide a listening ear, offering advice if it was requested. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. It was still hard to open up emotionally, every time he skirted close to a topic he found uncomfortable, he would shut down. He didn't know how to be vulnerable, he didn't _want_ to be vulnerable, didn't want to show his weaknesses.

No, he couldn't be completely honest about his vulnerabilities with Dumbledore, only with Lily. She was the only one he trusted completely, with everything. Just, not yet. He'd always promised her that one day he would try and share it with her, when the time was right. He could feel that time was approaching. Their conversation a few days ago had been a stark reminder about how little he'd actually discussed with her. His death had barely been touched upon, apart from telling her that he was killed on the Dark Lord's orders, believing he had a weapon - the Elder Wand. Severus had been considered disposable, merely a pawn in the game of war between Voldemort and Dumbledore. Dark and Light. With Severus caught in the grey in between. As soon as Voldemort had decided that Severus was more useful to him dead, he hadn't hesitated to set the snake on him. The venomous fangs puncturing the tender skin of his neck, before leaving him in an ever widening pool of blood as the Potter boy appeared by his side. He could still feel the phantom pain of that snake bite, he still woke clutching at his neck. He sometimes wondered which life was real. Was _that_ one real and this was some strange existence his mind had conjured in the deathly twilight? Or this one? Were either real? He needed to think of something else, the headache was starting to return again.

"Are you alright, Sev?" Lily asked, concerned eyes fixed on him as she stopped her exploration of the room.

"Mmm, I'm fine," he answered, not too convincingly. Lily didn't respond, only stared at him, not believing him. It didn't take long for him to crack. "Well, not _fine_ exactly. Just thinking."

"About..?" she probed.

"Memories. The snake... other things."

"Anything you want to talk about?" she asked gently.

"Not right now. Soon, but not now," he answered. Lily nodded, offering a sympathetic smile.

"You know I'm here, whenever you're ready."

"I know," he replied, genuinely smiling.

"So this place is great. There's so much to work with," she said as she continued looking around the room.

"I know. I've been here a few times this week."

"Have you been able to test anything out?" she asked curiously.

"Not everything," he admitted. "Though I do have something to show you," he said, he'd been able to figure out one new hex.

"Oh? What's that then?"

"Stand here," he instructed, moving her to the side of a large open space, clearly intended for duelling practice. Severus waved his wand, bringing one of the dummies closer to the mat before moving away a short distance. Ready to show her his new spell.

" _Spheara sempra,"_ he called as he aimed his wand at the dummy. The dummy spun quickly on the spot, rotating like a small tornado.

"That's one way to throw them off balance," Lily laughed. "They'll be throwing up all over the place!"

"It wouldn't be pleasant, that's for sure," he agreed.

"How long do they spin for?"

"Until the counter curse is performed or something happens to the caster."

"You have a counter curse?" she asked. Severus nodded as he aimed his wand at the dummy again.

" _Finite spheara,"_ he instructed and the dummy stopped spinning, wobbling as its movement was suddenly halted.

"I wouldn't want to be the victim of that hex," she admitted.

"Me neither. It shouldn't do any lasting damage, but it is going to make them feel very sick and very dizzy afterwards."

"Probably a bit of a headache too," she added.

"Most likely. But they are largely incapacitated while they're spinning, not likely to be able to cast any spells while they're whirling around."

"No, they'll be too busy trying to hang onto their breakfast!" she laughed. "Are you going to teach it to the others?"

"Probably, I hadn't really thought about it much. Maybe I can test it on Potter," he suggested teasingly, unable to resist a grin.

"And here I thought you'd made peace," she teased back, rolling her eyes in a show of fake annoyance.

"Don't worry, I don't intend to test it on Potter - or Black or Lupin for that matter," he added quickly.

"I know," she smiled.

"Though if Avery comes after me I can't promise I won't test it on him," he grinned.

"Now that's fair enough," she conceded. "After all, it's not dangerous, is it?"

"Not dangerous," he agreed. "Just very, very unpleasant."

"You should show this place to Dumbledore and Professor Ainscott, they might have some suggestions to improve things."

"Maybe," he shrugged. "Dumbledore did suggest I work on some new spells, I'd be able to show him what I've come up with so far."

"Maybe you should suggest moving the training sessions here. This space is better equipped for duelling, and the others would be able to practice against the dummies too."

"I'll think about it," he agreed. Lily smiled then, bright and beautiful as she made her way to him, slipping her arms around his waist, pulling him close. Severus quickly returned the gesture, enveloping her in a tight embrace.

"Have you thought any more about what you want to tell the others?" she mumbled into his chest.

"A little. I think it's time that the others knew _something,_ I'm just not entirely sure what."

"The Prophecy?" she asked.

"Well Voldemort has already told his Death Eaters, so it's not exactly a secret anymore."

"The Horcruxes?"

"Perhaps. I'm pretty sure Voldemort knows they're gone but I don't think it's really necessary to bring up the ones we've dealt with. Definitely the snake, mainly because the battle will be chaos - the more people that know to specifically target the snake, the better chance we have of succeeding - even if it's just so they know to protect you while you remove it," he told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He felt her nodding against his chest.

"Plus, Lupin is curious about the snake, thanks to Trelawney," she admitted.

"Well, at least it will appease his curiosity."

"True."

"Have they mentioned Pettigrew at all since last week?"

"Remus said they've been watching the map, but so far there's been no sign of him. Maybe he's fled back to Voldemort, or fled entirely."

"I doubt he'd dare. If he's been set a task he wouldn't return until he'd completed it, or he'd be killed. And if he fled, he'd be found and killed sooner or later."

"Maybe Remus was wrong, maybe he hadn't been in the shack."

"It's possible, but if Remus said he was there, he was there," Severus said. Lily lifted her head to meet his eyes, a mischievous look on her face. "What?"

"You called him _Remus,_ " she grinned.

"Don't be getting any ideas about us being _friends,_ " he protested weakly.

"Of course not," she agreed, quickly altering her expression in to one much more serious, though her twinkling eyes gave her away entirely. Before he could say anything else, she was tip toeing up, brushing her soft lips against his own. He didn't have a choice but to respond, his lips quickly moving to match hers.

"I love you," she told him with a brilliant smile as she pulled away.

"I love you, too," he answered, pressing another kiss to her forehead before she removed herself from his embrace.

She knew he was starting to view the Marauders as something akin to friends, but he'd be damned if he was going to admit that out loud. He was grateful she didn't push the matter, she knew him too well. He wanted to keep denying it, but with the world getting darker, it was time to admit that everyone needed friends to get them through. For so many years he had been happy to accept that Lily was his only friend, he'd been content with that. But now, maybe it was time to admit that having others around could make him a stronger person, a better person. No battle could be fought alone, previously he'd only thought about that in relation to the war, but maybe friends would be beneficial in everyday life too. Maybe if he'd had genuine friends for the whole of his Hogwarts life, it would have been easier to deal with his father's abuse. Perhaps the darkness would never have been a temptation in the first place.

He'd never know the answers to that now, there was no going back to change those things. He could only keep going forwards and build his life in the way he wanted it to be. With Lily, and possibly with friends who would stand with the both of them.

"So, are you going to teach me your new spell?" she asked him.

"Of course," he answered. He would always show her his creations, more than happy to give her additional weapons she could use against their enemies.

With that, his attention drifted away from the Marauders and back to Lily and the approaching fight, ready and keen to show her his spinning hex. Later, he would continue to work on other weapons to add to their arsenal, but this, this was a good start.

...

Albus stepped through the floo into his office, removing the remnants of ash with a casual flick of his wand. Another evening spent at the Ministry, another evening wasted as he argued with Bartemius Crouch and his plans for Hogwarts. Only now, Barty was getting the Minister himself involved. Barty had been whispering in Harold Minchum's ear ever since he'd ordered the Dementors be removed from Hogwarts' gates. That Horcrux had been a blessing in disguise that day; Barty had lost control of the pair of Dementors for a matter of moments thanks to their interest in the Cup. That loss of control had just been enough to have them removed, had shown Barty that they couldn't be trusted. He'd still left the grounds under protest, he'd have been perfectly happy to have the Dementors so close to innocent children - including his own son, a son that he would lose if he didn't pay closer attention to him and the company he was keeping. Barty Crouch senior was becoming more ruthless in regards to hunting out Death Eaters as the war went on. The man thought that subjecting several hundred innocent children to the Dementors, was a fair exchange for a couple of Marked ones. Madness. The time would be better spent on tracking down those marked students parents, the Death Eaters roaming free and actually committing atrocities.

Barty had also been sharing concerns with the Minister about Albus. Suggesting he was too old to act suitably as Headmaster, age was addling his mind and he was no longer putting the students' best interests first. Fortunately Minchum hadn't been convinced of that point, he had no reason to be. Albus had always done his best to protect the children, to try and provide guidance. That didn't mean he always succeeded. Some children were unfortunately beyond reaching, their upbringing and parents beliefs so deeply entrenched that he didn't stand a chance at altering them. That didn't mean that he thought they should automatically handed over to the Dementors, not unless they did something other than talk in a less than pleasant manner.

Unfortunately, Slytherin house was producing the highest number of students wishing to join Voldemort. He wasn't naive enough to believe they were all so inclined, he'd seen far too much in his almost century of life. Severus was proof enough that they weren't all bad; and Regulus Black was certainly proving the point too, taking information to Severus and, so far, avoiding the suspicion of his peers. Though of course, that could change when summer arrived and he was back under his parents roof. Back to the command of Lord Voldemort. No doubt the boy would be called to arms, in the final battle if not before.

And Albus certainly wasn't foolish enough to believe that Lord Voldemort's army was only made up of Slytherin's. There were purebloods in other houses that backed the idea of a hierarchy with pureblood's at the top. And plenty of half-bloods were eager to lend their wands to a fight, in an attempt to carve out a little bit of power for themselves. That power was an illusion, but sometimes that illusion was enough to draw someone in. Once they were in, it was permanent. Peter Pettigrew was a prime example. No one could figure out was his entire motive had been. He'd had friends around him right from the start. The four Gryffindor boys had seemed inseparable. So what prompted his turning? He hadn't liked it when the other three began giving Severus the benefit of the doubt. Was it that? He didn't like the trust Severus had had placed in him? Did he hate the poor boy so much that he'd rather join the Death Eaters than fight alongside him? It didn't make sense. Did he want power? Possibly. Power was always a temptation, especially to someone who'd never had any. Even with Severus' memories of Pettigrew being a Death Eater, it had still come as something of a shock. His friends hadn't been able to stop it, to help him. If anything, he'd become a Death Eater earlier than the memories suggested, just one of the ripples caused by altering events around them. Just as Regulus Black had had second thoughts sooner as well. It would seem Severus had been correct in one of his earlier statements - not everything could be changed. Some things had to happen, some things were happening sooner than they'd witnessed. With any luck, Voldemort would be entirely removed much sooner, and with his Horcruxes destroyed and no way to return, there wouldn't be a second wizarding war. That would save a huge amount of lives. He just hoped that other deaths wouldn't be brought forwards - mainly those of Severus Snape and Lily Evans. After all they'd done over the last two years, and all they were destined to do, they deserved to have a peaceful life together, to marry and have the children they so obviously wanted. But there were no guarantees, nothing was certain at all.

With a sigh, Albus threw some floo powder into the fireplace and crouched down, calling for Minerva.

"Is everything all right, Albus?" she asked worriedly.

"More or less, Minerva. Would you mind coming through to my office?" he asked. Albus withdrew from the fireplace, moving to take his usual seat behind his desk, waiting for his Deputy to come through. A few moments later, his fireplace flared with green flames again before Minerva McGonagall stepped carefully out, her expression tense as she took a seat.

"What's happened, Albus?" she asked him.

"I have just returned from the Ministry," he began. "It would appear Barty Crouch is still trying to position Dementors at our school."

"Dementors? Is he insane?" she snapped.

"A question I find myself asking quite regularly."

"There's no way Dementors can be around the children! It's bad enough they're around prisoners, it's inhumane!" she protested.

"I quite agree. Dementors are dark creatures, it is difficult to justify their continued use in any capacity," he agreed. It was inhumane, surely there had to be more fitting punishments for crimes.

"They're not coming here, are they?" she asked worriedly.

"I certainly hope not. Barty has been trying to convince the Minister to over-rule my decision. I have categorically denied him access. I do not want Dementors anywhere near the school, nor do I wish to have Barty making visits."

"Barty? What business does Barty have here?"

"He is aware that some students are marked. He suspected it before, but now he has some names. I believe Mr Pettigrew was rather talkative when he was taken away," Albus pointed out. Last time Barty came, he'd wanted to interrogate the majority of the students, particularly the ones who were known to have connections to confirmed Death Eaters, and haul them straight off to Azkaban.

"I see," she said, pursing her lips slightly. "Do you think keeping those students here is in everyone's best interests?"

"They do not deserve Azkaban just for being marked, Minerva."

"I'm not saying they do, but..." she trailed off, sighing.

"But?" Albus prompted.

"If they're marked, as soon as school is over, they'll be fighting. They won't care that you didn't hand them over when you had the chance."

"Perhaps, but for now, I don't believe letting Barty interrogate them will be beneficial. For the moment, they aren't doing anything wrong - in addition to being marked. The instant that changes, I will summon MLE and hand them over, much like we did Mr Pettigrew."

"And what about at the end of term? Will they be allowed to just get on the train and disappear off into life? Into the War? If they're marked, they'll be summoned to fight."

"I'm aware of that. So far I've been able to deny Barty the chance to question students, and to place Dementors here - Minchum agrees with both of those points, for now," he told her, small victory though it was. "However, they are still concerned that something may happen, that the marked students may act against the ones they know to be their enemies. They wish to have Aurors stationed here, covertly for the time being, in order to gather information."

"Well, I suppose that's better than Dementors. Will they be allowed to question students?"

"Only if they witness a law being broken, or if someone is directly in danger. They cannot simply round students up, or schedule interviews."

"I see, well, that is reassuring then."

"It is. Aurors will also be present on the train, and at platform 9 's. I have no jurisdiction over students once they have left the grounds. I will not intervene should the Aurors decide then that they are to be taken for questioning," he said quietly. They would most likely survive longer than if they were allowed to flock to Voldemort's side to fight for him. They would simply be cannon fodder.

"How did it get to this, Albus? Why are they still joining You-Know-Who?"

"I wish I knew the answers to those questions, Minerva," he answered sadly. "The prejudices work in both directions, Voldemort's followers are mainly Slytherins - they are prejudice towards those they believe are beneath them."

"Muggleborns," she interrupted.

"Primarily. Slytherin house is also a victim - the other houses believe all Slytherins think the same way, when it clearly isn't the case. As a result, the ones who disagree are somewhat ignored by all, not believed when they oppose their housemates. They either become isolated, or swept up in the following anyway as they have no one else to turn to."

"Or become like Severus," she pointed out.

"I doubt there will ever be another like Severus."

"He's made himself such a target, Albus."

"He has, but he was so close to following them," Albus replied sadly. "How many others have been failed?" the _other_ Severus was failed, that was clear. This Severus _was_ being failed until he started receiving those memories. He would have been failed again, over looked because of his house. Not trusted because he was a Slytherin. It wasn't fair.

"Things need to change then," Minerva stated simply.

"They do indeed," he agreed. "The houses need to work together, they need to trust each other."

"It won't be easy, with a war going on."

"The right thing rarely is. Besides, the school year grows late, and a number of students are going to be very busy for the next couple of weeks."

"Perhaps something to think about for September, then," she suggested. Albus nodded. "The houses can work together when necessary, though we need to work on the consistency. And the animosity towards Slytherin needs to end, though that remains difficult with You-Know-Who out there tarnishing Slytherins reputation."

"Hopefully working together, he can be removed before too much time has passed. All four houses are represented in the Order - though I can't deny Gryffindors make up the largest percentage. Wilfred is training a group ready for the summer, giving them as much preparation as possible."

"And it's going well? The training?"

"Very well indeed. Severus is extremely focussed, determined to see it through."

"And you still believe he's the One? This Prophecy?" she asked him with a frown.

"Between the Prophecy and the memories, the evidence would certainly suggest that he is. He can do this, Minerva," he said confidently, he still believed Severus would do it.

"That's certainly one way of changing Slytherins reputation," she pointed out.

"Quite. If Severus is able to defeat Voldemort it would certainly give hope to younger members of that house, proof that they can still follow a lighter path."

"I doubt Mr Snape would like to be seen as a shining beacon to others," she snorted softly.

"Perhaps not, but others will look up to him. I'm sure Miss Evans will protect him from his admirers," he pointed out with some amusement.

"No doubt about that," Minerva smiled.

"And they're both doing well in class?" Albus asked.

"Mr Snape is certainly distracted, but that's not surprising, all things considered. He's doing well enough, he'll pass his NEWT, as will Miss Evans."

"Excellent. I'd hate for them to jeopardise their futures entirely, because of the war," he admitted.

"Hmm, just a war to get through first," she said with a raised eyebrow. "Besides, if the two of them actually remove You-Know-Who, I doubt slipping a grade will hold them back from their chosen careers," she pointed out.

"True enough. At the very least I'm sure they'd be allowed to re-sit an exam if necessary," he smiled.

"When are the Aurors coming, then?" she finally asked.

"They will be here for the duration of the exams, posing as Ministry officials to invigilate."

"I see," she sighed. "I suppose it could be worse."

"Things can always be worse," he stated, though his tone conveyed some slight amusement.

"How very optimistic of you, Albus," she muttered sarcastically.

"Realistic," he amended with a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps I have been influenced by Mr Snape," he said innocently. Minerva rolled her eyes in exaggerated frustration.

"The great Albus Dumbledore, influenced by a wee boy. I never thought I'd see the day," she mocked. "Whatever next?"

"Ah, that is a mystery, yet to be revealed to us," he teased.

"Is there anything else you wish to discuss?" she asked him.

"I believe that is all," he acknowledged.

"In that case, I shall bid you good night."

"Of course. Good night, Minerva," he replied, watching as she gave a final nod before heading to the fireplace and returning back to her office.

Albus certainly had a lot to think about. The Ministry would keep interfering as long as the war continued and Death Eaters remained free. Barty would stop at nothing to capture them. Fortunately Dementors wouldn't be posted at the school, but Aurors would be. Everyone would have to be careful.

Albus also needed to decrease tensions between the houses - particularly between Slytherin and Gryffindor. That was going to prove almost impossible while the war raged on - Severus seemed to be the only Slytherin still in Hogwarts who would fight openly against Voldemort. Albus had no doubt there were others who wanted to fight too, but they couldn't admit that, not surrounded by those who were marked, or hoped to be marked. There must be others like Regulus, those who only realised their mistake once it was too late. Regulus couldn't be the only one working in secret, doing what he could to help the Light. That was another reason he didn't believe the Death Eaters should be killed, not all were evil. It wasn't a case of Light and Dark. Black and White. So many were caught in the middle. Everyone had both sides within them. Everyone. A momentary decision to follow the darkness could dictate the rest of your life, whether you intended it to or not. But some of Voldemort's followers genuinely believed in him - like Bellatrix, the Lestrange's, the Malfoy's, the Mulciber's. They needed stopping. But it was certainly difficult to sift through all the evidence to prove each person's intentions.

It was clear that although the war could be ended with the removal of Voldemort, the fallout would reach much further. More would have to be done for society to progress, for the prejudices to end. Muggleborns couldn't be persecuted for their birth or their blood. Slytherins couldn't all be perceived as evil because of their house. All needed to come together for the wizarding world to continue successfully. It was going to be a long road indeed. And removing Voldemort was only the first step.


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82

James Potter lay in his bed in the darkness. For the first time in his life, he was anxious. He'd never had anything to be anxious about before, everything had always gone exactly as he'd planned it, his happy-go-lucky personality helping him along the way. But now? He didn't know what would help anymore. There had been more attacks reported in the Prophet, more families Voldemort had deemed unworthy. A Pureblood family had been attacked for refusing to join You-Know-Who's side. They'd been killed as a warning. Blood traitors. Voldemort wasn't above killing Purebloods if they opposed his ideals, his values. Blood traitors were no better than Muggleborns. Nobody was truly safe anymore.

He was worried about his parents. They'd been warned to rethink their loyalties. So far they supported Dumbledore, just as he did, abhorred everything Pureblood supremacists stood for. Magic was magic, no one got to choose their parents, nobody should be persecuted because their parents were Muggles. The idea was ridiculous. He was terrified that one day he would see his own parents listed as victims in the newspaper, terrified he would see a photograph of the ugly dark mark appearing in the sky above the smoking remains of the home he'd grown up in. As time went on, he found himself sympathising more and more with Snape. Snape's mother had been in hiding since the previous summer. She was a Pureblood who was a target, because of Severus and the Prophecy, and for marrying a Muggle. Snape's home had been burned to the ground by Death Eaters, the address discovered and passed along by his former friend. James had asked his parents about Snape's mother. Eileen Prince. They hadn't known her personally, they were older than her and had left Hogwarts before she'd begun attending. All Pureblood families knew of each other, even if they weren't closely related, though they were all related in some capacity. It was no surprise that those marrying their closest relatives were the most insane; inbreeding definitely had a lot to answer for.

His parents hadn't been able to tell him much about the Prince's; just that Eileen had been an only child, a quiet child from what they'd heard. Her parents - Roderick and Georgina had both been rather reserved, both Slytherins, an arranged marriage, again not uncommon among Purebloods. No one seemed to know anything much about the Prince's now. They hadn't been seen or heard from in over twenty years, not since they'd disowned their daughter. No one knew if they were alive or dead. Sirius' family would probably be in a better position to uncover any information, all being former Slytherins themselves. But they were all clearly insane and most definitely on You-Know-Who's side in this war.

James sighed as he rolled over, trying to get comfortable, trying to quieten his thoughts. He hated constantly thinking about the war. He tried to push away another pang of sympathy for Snape, he'd been preparing for this war for the last two years alongside Dumbledore. How did the bloke get any sleep at all?

The fact that NEWT's had now started really didn't help matters. It was just more stuff to clutter up his mind. He really wasn't used to this. At least the first of the exams was now out of the way. Transfiguration, his best subject. He knew he'd performed well on that one and really wasn't concerned about the outcome. Fortunately he didn't have an exam tomorrow, well, later today he supposed, so at least this restless night wasn't going to impact on the Potions practical that was in two days time.

James fought back a groan as Sirius' snores became louder. Torn between the urge to shove a pillow over his face, and the thought that maybe he should just give sleep up as a bad idea tonight and head down to the common room with a book and the map. A particularly loud snort from his best friend made his mind up for him. Suffocating him was clearly not an option, no matter how tempting, so he grabbed the map from his bedside table, along with his wand and a text book, slipping his glasses on as he crept from the dorm and down the staircase.

The common room was silent, everyone else obviously asleep as they should be at 3am. With all the wall lamps extinguished, the only light in the room came from the lit fire. James sank into the chair closest to the fireplace, placing his book and map on the table in front of him. He rubbed his forehead tiredly as he unfolded the map, whispering the incantation, watching as it came to life, the layout of the castle appearing along with dots and names.

He needed to check everyone was where they were supposed to be, and to reassure himself that no one was in the castle that shouldn't be. That was becoming something of an obsession. In years past, the Marauders watched the map to track Snape, to help them execute their pranks as it allowed them to sneak up in ambush. Now? Now they needed to watch for Peter. Remus was still certain there had been a fresh scent of his last time he was in the shack. And Snape hadn't been surprised. He expected Peter to find his way back to Hogwarts, but he hadn't elaborated on why. He rarely elaborated on anything. He just had to trust Snape, and weirdly, it got easier to do as time went on.

James' eyes scanned over the parchment, flicking from section to section. He saw his own dot in the common room, glancing to the various Gryffindor dorms finding Sirius and Remus' dots in the boys' side of the tower, Evans' dot in the girls' side. Personally, he was surprised that she didn't try and stay with Severus, surprised that she didn't sneak out given the fact that he had his own room. He continued his search, Ravenclaw tower next, Jessica's dot in the head girl's room in the tower. He found Snape's dot in his room on the third floor. His dot was moving, most likely pacing. It seemed he wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping tonight.

It certainly looked like it was business as usual in the castle, nothing unexpected. He was about to close the map when he saw the name. _Peter Pettigrew_. He spread the map out more carefully, his eyes growing wider as he rechecked what he thought he'd seen. Yes, the name was definitely there, had only just appeared as he'd strayed on to the edge of the area covered by the map's magic. He was in one of the secret tunnels that linked Hogwarts to Hogsmeade. They had to catch him, before he got the chance to complete whatever task he was coming here to carry out. James ran from the common room as quickly as he could, dashing up the stairs two at a time, stumbling through the dormitory door as he finally reached the top.

"Guys! Wake up!" James virtually shouted as he fell into the room, waving his wand to light the lamps.

"What?" Remus snapped as he bolted upright in his bed, a scowl of annoyance on his face. Sirius just rolled over, growling as he shoved his pillow over his head to block out the noise and light. "What is it?" Remus asked, his expression turning concerned as he registered James' heavy breathing and wide eyes.

"Peter! That's what!" James snapped, waving the map in his direction.

"Peter?" Remus asked at the same time as Sirius cried _"What?"_

"He's coming in through one of the passages, the one that opens on the fourth floor!" James said quickly.

"What are we hanging round here for, then?" Sirius snapped as he leapt from his bed, quickly throwing his robes over his pyjamas. "That little shit," Sirius growled as he snatched the map from James, seeking out Peter's name while James and Sirius threw their own robes on.

"Don't do anything stupid, Sirius," Remus said as they headed for the door.

"Define _stupid,"_ Sirius replied with a heavy frown. "I'll kill him if I get my hands on him."

"Now _that_ would be stupid," Remus warned.

James twirled his wand as they entered the common room, saying the incantation to summon a Patronus.

"What are you doing?" Remus asked quietly. James ignored him, concentrating on the awaiting silver stag.

"Find Snape - tell him to meet me in the fourth floor corridor. Pettigrew's trying to get into the castle," he instructed, watching as the shimmering Patronus disappeared, leaving to take his message to his former enemy.

"Snape?" Sirius questioned.

"Yes," James sighed. "Looking at the map, it seems like he's still awake. And we need to work with him," he argued. He tried to ignore Remus' smug smile, obviously pleased.

"Fine, let's get to the corridor then," Sirius said. "Wormy hasn't made it to the exit yet."

The three boys quickly headed for the shortcut, the secret stairway that linked the corridor outside their common room to the fourth floor. At least they would reach their destination quickly, with no chance of running into anyone at this time of night.

They finally stopped running as they turned into the corridor, Snape should be here any minute, he only had to come from the third floor. James glanced over Sirius' shoulder at the map, Snape's dot was still moving, as was Peter's dot. They didn't have much time.

"Should we have got Evans for this?" James suddenly asked.

"And wake her at 3.30 in the morning, I don't have that kind of death wish, Potter," Snape's voice joined the conversation.

"Is that so?" James grinned. "So, planning to take on Voldemort isn't having a death wish?" he teased.

"Hmm. Battling Voldemort, or waking Lily?" he frowned, stroking his chin in a show of contemplation. "I'll take Voldemort," he decided with a raised eyebrow. Remus laughed.

"Fair enough. You look like hell, Snape. Don't you ever sleep?" James asked him.

"You really haven't perfected compliments, have you?" Snape asked with a smirk. "And yes, sometimes I have been known to sleep," he added. "So, where is the little rat then?"

"He's still moving up the hidden passageway, the one that leads to this floor," Sirius said, still looking at the map opened in his hands.

"The one behind the mirror?" Snape asked. James nodded, almost forgetting that Snape knew of the hidden passages after borrowing the map a few months ago. "So what's the plan? I assume you know you can't _actually_ kill him?" Snape enquired.

"I've already told them that," Remus said with a quiet chuckle. It was scary how similar those two could be at times.

"Come on, let's get in the room, he's nearly reached the mirror," Sirius said, drawing their attention back to the map. James nodded as Sirius turned and marched swiftly towards the room, James, Remus and Snape followed quickly behind.

As soon as they were inside and the door shut behind them, Snape aimed his wand, muttering incantations to ward the door. Peter definitely wasn't going to get out the room that way.

"If he comes through in his Animagus form, it might be wise to change him back before you do anything else," Snape suggested.

"Yeah," James nodded. "Sirius and I, we'll change him back if we have to. Otherwise, I'll disarm him and Sirius can bind him."

"We need to spread out, so he can't defend himself so easily," Snape said.

"Hmm." James frowned, reaching to pull the invisibility cloak from his robes.

"Just spread out and cast disillusionment charms," he told them. "Or you use the cloak if you're going to get the closest."

"That could work," James agreed.

"He's about to come through," Sirius interrupted.

"Quick then!" James and Sirius moved closer to the mirror, throwing the cloak over the both of them, not watching what Remus and Snape did.

The mirror started to move, creaking as it swung away from the wall, its hinges rusty and stiff making it difficult to move. They could hear Peter panting and huffing as he shoved against the mirror, clearly he couldn't get through as a rat, he needed the strength to force it open. James held Sirius back, not wanting to make their move just yet, waiting until the mirror was shut again, cutting off his means of escape. Peter finally stumbled into the room, he looked terrible, but he wasn't going to be gaining much in the way of sympathy after everything that had happened, and whatever he was planning to do. He was obviously here for a reason.

The dishevelled boy leaned heavily against the mirror, pushing it closed again, panting as he stood in the dark room. They saw him withdraw his wand, lighting the tip with a whispered _Lumos._ Now was the time.

" _Expelliarmus_!" James cried. Peter let out a startled yelp as his wand flew from his hand, clattering to the floor several feet away. Peter's surprise only increased when Sirius bound him tightly with a cry of _'Incarcerous'._ James threw off the cloak, revealing himself and Sirius, their wands lit as they approached their former friend.

"Hello, Wormy. What brings you here, mate?" James asked, his tone cold.

"I... I... You wouldn't understand," he said, shaking his head.

"No, probably not," Sirius agreed. "Just like we don't understand any of what you've done," he growled. "I mean, come on! Joining Voldemort!" he snapped angrily.

"He's going to win!" he protested.

"No, he's not," James argued.

"Snivellus isn't going to save you, you know!" Peter shouted. "You think he stands a chance against the Dark Lord?"

"Is that what this is about? Snape?" Sirius growled.

"The Dark Lord is too powerful! Better to join now, you'll be killed otherwise."

"Voldemort doesn't spare his followers. I'm sure you already know that," Snape said calmly from his position in front of the door. Peter's eyes widened as Snape strode confidently over. "Haven't you already been punished?" he asked curiously. Peter looked at the floor. "I'm sure he didn't like you failing your last task. What did he do? Cruciatus? Ransack your memories? Set you a new task? One that you're about to fail?" Snape continued. Peter seemed to be visibly deflating with each statement, each question. "He'll likely kill you next time he gets hold of you," Snape pointed out.

"Still think you're on the winning side?" James asked.

"You don't understand," Peter mumbled miserably.

"No, we don't. We're not likely to either," Remus stated. No, they never would.

"What did he send you here to do?" Snape asked.

"I'm not telling you!" Peter snapped defiantly.

"No?" Snape said, looking almost amused as he raised an eyebrow. "Voldemort isn't the only one who's familiar with Legilimency," he smirked. James looked at him curiously. _What else did Snape know?_

"You're bluffing," he said, though his face paled.

"Really not," Snape grinned menacingly, maintaining eye contact with Peter, challenging the other boy to test it.

"Fine, fine!" Peter snapped, he obviously didn't want to call his bluff. "He sent me to fetch something."

"What?" Sirius asked.

"A diadem. An old diadem," he whispered. Snape's expression didn't alter, didn't show any signs of surprise at all.

"A diadem?" Sirius asked, his confusion evident. "A bloody tiara? _Why?"_

"I don't know! Honestly, I don't. He just told me where it was and what it looked like. And that I had to bring it back to him. He hid it here, years ago."

"Hmm. Interesting," Snape said casually. "You're too late."

"What do you mean?" Peter asked weakly.

"You're too late. He's too late," Snape repeated.

"Too late for what?" Remus asked, also looking more than a little confused.

"It's complicated," Snape said quietly. "He knows, doesn't he?" he asked Peter.

"Knows about what?"

"The book."

"Book? What book?" James asked. The conversation was getting stranger and stranger.

"The book at Malfoy Manor? He knows it's a fake. And the cup," Peter whispered.

"That's why he sent you for the diadem," Snape stated. Peter nodded. "Like I said, too late."

"He'll kill me if I don't take it back to him!"

"Oh, you won't be going anywhere mate, so I wouldn't worry too much about that," James told him.

"Well, maybe right back to Azkaban," Sirius added.

"You wouldn't?" Peter argued.

"We would. We will. We're taking you to Dumbledore, he can do whatever he needs to - which I'm sure involves handing you over to the Aurors," Remus said.

"No! Not Azkaban! I can't go back there!" he protested.

"Look at it this way: it's either Azkaban, or going back to Voldemort empty handed. You'll probably live a lot longer by going back to Azkaban," James pointed out. Sad as it was, it was the truth, and they were the only options he had to choose from. Peter said nothing, only stared at the floor again, his shoulders slumping dejectedly, as much as they could slump while bound with ropes.

"Come on, let's get him to Dumbledore," Snape said as he aimed his wand at the door again, removing the wards he'd placed, before summoning a Patronus. James watched as he gave his message to the graceful doe, which then bounded off to alert the Headmaster that they were on their way to his office.

Sirius dragged Peter to his feet, marching him out the door and in the direction of the main staircase. Remus caught up, walking on Peter's other side, James and Severus walked several paces behind.

"What's it all about, then?" James asked him.

"You'll have to be more specific than that, Potter."

"You know what I mean. This diadem. You already knew about it," he stated.

"I did."

"You knew he'd come for it?"

"I had a hunch," he shrugged casually.

"And what about this book and cup he mentioned?"

"It's a long story. A very long story, in fact," Snape sighed.

"Isn't everything with you?" he asked exasperatedly. Snape snorted.

"Certainly seems that way," he finally agreed. "But this is not the time, or the place for that conversation." James stared at him as Snape stopped walking, seemingly debating something with himself. "I will tell you."

"You will?" he asked, more than a little shocked.

"Yes," he replied. "Just not here, not now. I will tell the three of you tomorrow,"

"Oh. Right. Well, ok then, tomorrow," James nodded.

"There's something I want to show the three of you."

"Oh?" he asked warily.

"Mmm, something that Lily and I found that will come in handy," he explained.

"Oh, right. Fair enough then," James agreed. Snape nodded before walking quickly away to catch up with the others. James stood for a moment, utterly perplexed at Snape's statement - he would tell them something about Voldemort. About the war. About what he'd been doing.

"Come on, Potter," Snape called out as the group moved further away. James shook it off, running to catch up.

"So, Legilimency?" he asked, he wanted to know if he'd been bluffing.

"What about it?"

"You can use Legilimency?"

"What do you think?" he posed, glancing in his direction with a raised eyebrow. James didn't answer. "Yes, I can use Legilimency," he finally admitted.

"Of course you can," James muttered, shaking his head. "Clearly, there's still a lot we don't know about you."

"Clearly," Severus agreed with a smirk. "And don't think I'm suddenly going to start telling you everything."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he answered quickly. "Does she know? Evans?"

"Lily knows everything about me," he said quietly.

"You trust her?" James asked.

"With my life. With my wand," he said simply. James nodded, not knowing what else to say. Nothing else needed to be said. That simple statement said more about their relationship than anything else could. Lily hadn't chosen to be with Snape because she didn't know what he was truly like, she was with him because she did. She'd known all there was to know about him, knew how much of himself he clearly kept buried and had stayed by side, the only constant in his life, and the only one he trusted completely. He'd misjudged Snape entirely, he knew next to nothing about him, yet had still targeted him repeatedly. Why? Because he was a Slytherin. All he really knew now with any certainty was that they were on the same side. That and that he'd obviously never stood a chance with Lily Evans. And he could honestly say he was fine with that.

...

Severus muttered the password to the gargoyle as they reached the guardian to Dumbledore's office revealing the spiral stone staircase to the unlikely group of boys. Severus went through first, followed by Black and Lupin holding the still bound Pettigrew, with Potter bringing up the rear. It had certainly been an odd night, he hadn't slept yet, he'd been pacing in his room when Potter's Patronus had appeared in front of him. He almost ignored it, almost dismissed it as a prank. Why would the Marauders ask him to join them in rounding up their estranged friend? Wouldn't they want to take him to Dumbledore without him, show their worth and not have to share the spotlight?

It had taken him less than a minute to give them the benefit of the doubt. Besides, he could handle himself quite well if he needed to, and he was more than a little curious about Pettigrew. And he hadn't been disappointed. Potter, Black and Lupin had genuinely wanted him there to help round up Pettigrew. They'd listened to his suggestions and worked together. That was enough for Severus to finally agree to tell them more. Plus, they'd heard a snippet of information - Pettigrew was there to retrieve the Diadem, and the Diary and Cup had both been mentioned as fakes. At least if Severus told them about these items, it would stop them coming up with their own theories, which would, of course, be completely wrong.

Dumbledore's voice beckoned him to enter as he reached the top of the stairs, Severus quickly pushed the door open.

"What can I do for you this... morning, Severus?" the Headmaster asked him with an amused twinkle in his eye. Severus didn't reply, only stepped aside, holding the door open for the rest of the Marauders to step into the room.

Severus closed the door with a soft 'click' before settling down in his usual chair.

"We have a visitor, Headmaster," Severus said with a raised eyebrow.

"So I see," Dumbledore replied. "I must say, I'm surprised to see you back at Hogwarts, Mr Pettigrew. Either you're extremely keen to sit your NEWT's, or you're here on _other_ business," he mused. Pettigrew said nothing, only stared at the floor. "Anything you wish to tell me?" he asked. Pettigrew shook his head.

"Well, he's not here for exams, that's for sure," Black snapped.

"I assumed not," Dumbledore smiled sadly.

"He said he was sent back for a Diadem, hidden here by Voldemort," Potter said.

"Ah. Not too surprising, all things considered. Although, I'm afraid you're too late, Mr Pettigrew," the Headmaster said.

"That's what Snape said," Black muttered with a frown.

"Really? How peculiar," Dumbledore said, turning his attention to Severus. Severus only smirked in response.

"Yeah, peculiar," Potter said, looking almost amused.

"I take it you were watching your map?" the Headmaster asked.

"Oh, um, yes, the map," Potter said. "It was lucky timing, really."

"So I imagine, I'm sure you don't make a habit of staying up all night, watching the map 'just in case.'"

"No, Sir. I was just having trouble sleeping and decided instead of staying in bed tossing and turning, I'd do some revision in the common room. And of course, I took the map with me," Potter explained.

"Very lucky indeed then," Dumbledore said.

"Yeah," Potter nodded. "I was just about to fold it back up when I saw his name appear."

"So he woke us up to come with him," Black added.

"And Severus?" the Headmaster asked.

"I could tell he was still awake, his dot was moving, so I sent him a Patronus to meet us. I knew he'd want to help us," Potter said.

"You trust Severus?"

"Well, yeah. And I think he trusts us," Potter shrugged. Severus almost rolled his eyes, especially as Dumbledore's gaze met his own, blue eyes twinkling with open amusement.

"Now that is very good to hear. Very good indeed," the Headmaster said, unable to hide his smile. Severus did roll his eyes then, prompting a chuckle from Lupin.

"Have you heard yourselves?" Pettigrew suddenly shrieked, glaring at the Gryffindor boys.

"What's your problem now, Wormy?" Black asked, eyes cold as he glared back at the bound boy.

"You lot! Listening to Snivellus, seeking him out! To what? Tie me up!" he protested.

"That's a bit rich, don't you think?" Black snapped. "You're the one that turned your back on us. _You're_ the one who got himself marked by that madman! _You're_ the one that got Snape's house burned down! _You're_ the one who would've turned Evans' family over to the Death Eaters! You!" Black ranted on. Nobody stopped him. "And you want to get all offended because we talk to him? Because we're on the same side? You're pathetic," he spat coldly. "We didn't need his help with _you_ , any one of us could have done this alone. But we're on the same side, we always have been. You're just too stupid to see that."

"You know that's what he wants you to think," Pettigrew muttered miserably.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, not this again," Lupin sighed.

"I quite agree," Dumbledore said. "I think every single person in this room has proven without a doubt where they stand in this war."

"So now what do we do?" Severus asked.

"Now, I'm afraid I have little choice but to take Mr Pettigrew to the Ministry," the Headmaster said.

"No! They'll send me back to Azkaban!" Pettigrew protested.

"What would you have me do?" Dumbledore asked. "You knew I would have to do this if you were caught here again."

"You don't know what that place is like!" he cried.

"Thankfully not. I can imagine, of course," he said sadly. They could all imagine how awful it must be, trapped in a stone cell, surrounded by Dementors. But Pettigrew had made his choice. He couldn't blame anyone but himself for that. "Now, it is very, very late, or very, very early, depending on how we look at this. James, Sirius, Remus, you have my utmost thanks for your assistance, I would suggest now is a good time for some sleep, if you can, of course."

"What about Snape?" Black protested.

"He too, will be leaving shortly," he answered. The boys nodded, making their way to the office door, mumbling 'goodnights' as they started to leave.

"We'll talk later, yeah?" Potter said as he paused in the doorway. Severus nodded as he met his eyes.

"Later," he confirmed. And he meant it, he would finally talk.

"Now then," Dumbledore began once the door was closed. "We shall head to the Ministry, Mr Pettigrew, I would highly recommend against saying anything. Should you ever find yourself face to face with Lord Voldemort again, he would be most offended by your revealing of his secrets. He does not take kindly to betrayal," he warned. Pettigrew stared at the floor still, fidgeting uncomfortably under his ropes. "If you could wait here for me, Severus, I shouldn't be too long," he added.

"Of course, Sir," Severus nodded, watching as the Headmaster led the boy to the fireplace, calling out the destination as the floo powder was tossed into the flames. In a flash of green, they were gone, leaving Severus alone in Dumbledore's office. A strange notion to say the least, he'd never been left alone here before.

It was certainly getting harder to think of himself as purely a student. Lines had been getting more and more blurred over the last two years. Dumbledore had listened to his ramblings about the dreams, the memories, had viewed them with him, had tried to keep him protected mentally, teaching him skills that would protect himself and Lily. He hadn't shied away from him when the Prophecy pointed to him. No, he'd almost embraced it. Why? Did he want a figure to rally the troops behind? Someone to deflect blame onto if he failed? No, it wasn't that. He'd tried to keep the Prophecy and his suspicions as quiet as possible. And he certainly wasn't directing attention his way. It was more a quiet confidence that the Headmaster had in him.

All along, the old man had told him he was capable, said he had the strength, the courage, the determination to do anything he set his mind to. Severus knew that Dumbledore believed in him, and that made a difference. Dumbledore was more than happy to fight with him side by side, to listen to his thoughts and theories. They were becoming a team. Though in reality, he supposed, he was forming his own team around him, with himself, Lily and Dumbledore at the centre, the three who knew everything, with a shared destiny - to end the war. Lily would take the snake, Severus would take Voldemort, Dumbledore would direct the rest of the troops. But strangely, the three remaining Marauders were inching their way ever closer. They were becoming part of his team. True they were never going to be as close to him as Lily and the Headmaster, but they were loyal, and they would prove to be excellent allies in the fight.

He had no idea how long he'd sat in silent contemplation when the fireplace flared green again. Dumbledore stepped casually through, not so much as a speck of soot on his robes as he made his way to his seat behind the desk, sinking down with a heavy sigh.

"Did everything go ok, Sir?" Severus asked cautiously.

"It could have been better," he admitted. "Crouch was on duty."

"Lovely," Severus muttered, obtaining a raised eyebrow from the Headmaster.

"Indeed. This is just another incident he can give as evidence to justify returning to the school."

"He wants to remove all the marked ones?" Severus asked. If it wasn't for Regulus, he'd be all in favour of that himself, it would make an attack by Avery and Wilkes impossible for starters.

"He does. Not something I outright agree with, considering young Mr Black. But I cannot hand over 'some' of them, and not the others."

"At the very least that would raise too many suspicions," Severus agreed. Handing over all but Regulus would be pointing him out to Voldemort. Might as well have a flashing neon sign above him.

"Agreed. Hopefully my protests will delay things sufficiently. However, they are not the only ones he wishes to talk to."

"Oh?"

"There have been whispers among the Death Eaters about a Prophecy, and about you. That has made Barty _curious,_ for want of a better term."

"He wants to talk to me because he's curious?" Severus asked suspiciously.

"Of course, he has no grounds for that. His request has been denied. It will not stop him trying to meet with you, or stop him trying to gather information."

"Information?" he frowned.

"The Ministry invigilators, most are Aurors."

"They're reporting back to him?" Severus snapped.

"That was his intention, though several Aurors are members of the Order, so they will not report back everything."

"What is there to report? I'm just sitting in exams!" Severus protested.

"Indeed. In any case, Aurors are here for the duration of the exams - that is not to leave this room," he told him. Severus drew in a deep breath.

"Not even Lily?" he asked quietly.

"Only Lily," the Headmaster conceded. Severus nodded in relief.

"So, they're watching me, and I'm assuming those they believe are marked?"

"Yes. They have a list of names. They are also watching your new friends," he said quietly. Severus rolled his eyes.

"Allies," he corrected.

"Of course. Allies," Dumbledore smiled, his amusement evident.

"Because of Pettigrew?"

"He has mentioned their secret."

"And they want evidence of that?"

"They asked me outright if James and Sirius were unregistered Animagi, I told him he could ask them himself once Auror training commences. Naturally he wasn't pleased with my answer, so he wants them watched for the time being."

"And what about Lupin? Has Pettigrew let _that_ cat out of the bag?"

"Remus was not mentioned. Now, either Mr Pettigrew has not informed them of that fact due to some lingering loyalty, or it has been mentioned and Mr Crouch is choosing to ignore it, as it is a rather unlikely accusation."

"Unlikely," Severus snorted.

"Quite. Now, you clearly need sleep," Dumbledore pointed out. "You should at least attempt to get some. It won't be long before Miss Evans will be awake, and you have much to discuss with her."

"Yes, Sir," he nodded, sighing as he rose from his chair, quickly leaving the Headmaster's office behind, heading back to his room to wait until breakfast when he could seek Lily out and share all the details of what had been an extremely eventful night.


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Lily lay on Severus' bed, casually flicking through one of his potions text books. Tomorrow they had their Potions practical, and last minute revision was never a bad thing. Though she couldn't deny, it was difficult to concentrate. Severus had met her early this morning, grabbing a quick breakfast as soon as they were able before they headed for his room. Once safely inside his sanctuary he'd proceeded to explain the eventful night he'd had, summoned from his room at three in the morning to help the Marauders with their former friend as he attempted to gain access to the castle and the Diadem.

Part of her was disappointed at missing out. She'd always been there for Severus when anything happened, had always been the one he turned to. But this was different. This was _Potter_ asking for Severus' help. Whatever lingering mistrust there may have been had obviously now gone. They had needed and _wanted_ to work together, she was proud of Severus for how far he'd come. But she still didn't like the thought of not being needed, not for that task anyway. He needed her in other ways, which she supposed was fine too. It was just different, a learning curve.

Once he'd told her everything that had happened, and all he planned to do that afternoon, she insisted he at least attempt to get some sleep. It wouldn't do him any good to show off a training room, or have any sensible discussions if he was exhausted. He finally agreed as she crawled onto his bed, settling herself against his pillows, waiting for him to join her. It hadn't taken long for him to fall asleep in her arms, his head on her chest and arm draped heavily across her waist.

Severus had slept for four straight hours, no movement from him at all apart from the steady rise and fall of his back beneath her fingers. He'd seemed much more relaxed when he did wake - though he clearly needed more sleep - and dragged himself to the bathroom for a quick shower before they went down to lunch and to find the Marauders.

Suddenly, the bathroom door was opened again and Severus reappeared in the room, freshly dressed, his black hair still damp and hanging around his face. He sank heavily on the bed beside her, lifting his wand to cast a drying charm. Unable to resist, Lily sat up beside him, running her fingers through the smooth strands. Severus leaned in to kiss her, a gentle brush of his lips against hers that stole her breath.

"We should head downstairs," she whispered as she pulled away.

"We should," he agreed, before kissing her again. She should have moved away, they had far too much to do today as it was. But she didn't. She shifted her position beside him, closing the gap between them as his fingers gently ran across her cheek, unable to do, or think of, anything at all as he deepened the kiss.

She was breathing much more heavily when he finally did pull back from her, his dark eyes intense as they fixed on her own.

"You're really not helping, Sev," she whispered, he really wasn't doing much to convince her to head down to lunch.

"Sorry," he smirked. _Liar._ He wasn't sorry at all; he wouldn't look so bloody smug if he was.

"Mmm. Like I'm going to believe that. Anyway, it's you that wants to talk to Potter today," she reminded him. "Come on, let's head down to lunch before he comes looking for us, wanting to know when he's going to learn your secrets."

Severus groaned in a show of fake annoyance as he tore himself away from her gentle touches, moving to grab his cloak from the hook by the door.

"Fine, I'm ready to go. Happy?" he grumbled, folding his arms across his chest, attempting to scowl at her.

"Ecstatic," she laughed, standing and throwing her own cloak over her shoulders, shaking her head at his behaviour. Resting her hands on his still-crossed arms, she stood on tip toes, leaning to press her lips against his, his attempt at a stern façade crumbled in an instant as he returned the gesture. It was her turn to look smug as she pulled away, his features softening as he sighed.

"Come on, then," he said, smiling as he reached for her hand, leading her swiftly from the room.

Lunch was in full swing when they reached the Great Hall, students all happily calling to each other and chatting away as they piled food on to their plates. The fifth years in particular were much noisier now that their first exam was out the way too, some of the nerves that had been building since the Easter break were starting to dissipate.

"Thought you two weren't bothering with lunch," Potter said as Lily and Severus sat opposite him at the Gryffindor table.

"Why wouldn't we?" Lily asked with a frown. Potter shrugged as he took a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"I thought Snape might have changed his mind," he said quietly.

"About lunch?" she asked. Severus snorted as he helped himself to a sandwich.

"No," he sighed.

"Believe it or not, Potter, I meant what I said," Severus told calmly. Potter held his gaze for a moment, still looking unsure before he finally nodded.

"Did you manage to get some sleep then?" Potter asked.

"A little. You?" Severus asked in return.

"Not really. Think I was still too wired when I got back to the dorms," Potter admitted.

"You're telling me, he wouldn't shut up!" Black said with a huff.

"That's a bit of an exaggeration," Potter protested, his cheeks colouring slightly with his best friends' admission.

"Exaggeration? I was ready to hex your bloody mouth shut!" Black told him. Severus smirked at the bickering.

"Honestly, Snape, you agreeing to talk to him is just too exciting," Remus laughed. "I think you broke him."

"Just what, exactly, does he think he's going to learn?" Severus asked, looking more than a little amused.

"He hasn't got a clue, that's why he's so excited," Black teased. "Worse than a kid at Christmas,"

"Well, he can't be any worse than Lily at Christmas," Severus said with a smirk.

"What?" she protested, her mouth dropping open in shock. Potter and Black looked positively giddy. "I'm not that bad," she added weakly.

"Of course not. That's why you dragged me out of bed at five in the morning," he said quietly.

"Next Christmas I won't bother if it's such a problem," she said with a shrug. His arm was suddenly around her waist, pulling her close against his side, his breath on her cheek for a second before he whispered in her ear, making her shiver.

"Please don't change," then a kiss was pressed to her cheek.

"You two are sickening, you know that, right?" Black laughed.

"And you and your girlfriend aren't?" Remus posed with a raised eyebrow.

"That wasn't the question," Black shrugged. Lily laughed, shaking her head as she went back to her sandwich. She supposed everyone was the same when they were in love. They all slipped temporarily into their own worlds, lost with their other half, almost oblivious to the events going on around them, and of the effects their actions might have on anyone there to witness them. They were all a little sickening at times, but they really didn't care.

"Is everyone ready to go?" she asked, glancing between the four boys when it seemed like they'd finished eating.

"I'm ready," Potter said quickly. Severus snorted softly in amusement.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Severus said quietly.

"Come on, then," she said, standing from the bench, making her way up between the tables towards the door. She could hear footsteps from the boys following her, Severus caught up with her first, linking their hands together. Lily stopped at the foot of the main staircase, glancing over her shoulder as they waited for the rest of them.

"Where are we going?" Potter asked them with a frown.

"We need somewhere private to talk," she said.

"Your room?" Potter asked Severus.

"No, I told you, I have somewhere to show you," Severus answered before beginning the trek up to the seventh floor in silence.

"Er, where exactly are we going?" Potter asked as they reached the Fat Lady's portrait. "I don't think the Gryffindor common room is the best place."

"Why would I take you to your own common room?" Severus asked.

"Well there's not much else up here," he pointed out. Severus didn't answer, merely rolled his eyes and continued on, away from Gryffindor tower, turning when he reached the apparently empty corridor.

"You know we're not all going to fit in the cupboard, don't you?" Potter asked. Again, Severus didn't answer, only began pacing backwards and forwards along the stretch of wall opposite the tapestry.

"In all the times you've used this room, have you never thought to ask for anything else?" Lily asked curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"The room gives you what you _need,_ " she pointed out. "Or do you like snogging in a broom cupboard?" she teased.

"What?" he asked, still looking confused.

"Next time, at least _try_ and ask for a sofa," she laughed. Black laughed at Potter's blushing face, elbowing his friend playfully as they waited for Severus to summon his training room.

The door suddenly appeared in the previously empty section of wall, the laughing from the boys stopped almost instantly. Severus pulled the door open, gesturing for the others to go inside.

"What the hell is this?" Potter asked, walking around the training room, glancing at the books lining the shelves on the wall, the dummies in the alcoves, the slightly padded floor of the duelling area.

" _This_ is my version of the room," Severus stated.

"Right. So, definitely not just a broom cupboard then?" he retorted, a look of awe on his face.

"I think you've been missing out, Prongs," Black laughed.

"Are we going to move the training sessions up here?" Remus asked.

"I don't know," Severus shrugged. "I haven't shown this to Professor Ainscott yet," he admitted. In actuality, there wouldn't be much opportunity to use this room, there were only a couple of weekends left of term.

"The room itself is only one reason for bringing you here today. No one can find this room unless they already know about it," Lily said. "And there's more space here than in Severus' room."

"You don't want us in your room? I'm offended," Black gasped, clutching his chest.

"It would be rather cramped for us all in there, regardless of whether or not I want you invading my room," Severus pointed out.

"Why don't we all sit down," Lily suggested. The Marauders nodded eagerly, moving to sit in a circle on the padded floor.

"So where do we start?" Potter asked. Severus sighed.

"For a start, anything we talk about stays in this room," Severus said seriously. "Although I can tell you _some_ things, answer _some_ questions, there are still some things that I can't. It's just too dangerous to tell you everything."

"Why tell us anything, then?" Remus asked quietly.

"Because over the last two years you've each heard bits and pieces. If I confirm a few things it will stop you speculating and making assumptions which could prove dangerous. It will appease your curiosity. It could make it easier to trust each other in what lies ahead. And it could help keep Lily safer, when Voldemort finally finds us," Severus explained.

"He's not going to find you," Potter sighed. "Dumbledore's going to hide you, isn't he?"

"He is, but it's not that simple," Lily answered.

"If we want this war to end, he has to find me," Severus said.

"Right. Is this about the Prophecy?" Potter asked.

"Yes," Severus nodded. "Lupin overheard some of what Trelawney said, before the Prophecy was made."

"That Tarot reading? That you were given a second chance, to right wrongs. That you were facing a dark road, but you would be the victor," Remus said.

"Voldemort eventually found out the Prophecy's contents, you've heard the talk among the Slytherins," Severus said.

"Yeah, Wormtail mentioned something about you being the _Chosen one,"_ Potter said, nodding as he spoke.

"So what did it say? The Prophecy?" Black asked.

"That the one the power to vanquish the Dark Lord was among us," Lily said. She doubted Severus was going to reveal the entire contents of the Prophecy.

"And he decided that meant you because...?" Potter asked.

"Because I'd been meeting with Dumbledore before then, and because I was present when the Prophecy was made."

"Is it you?" Black asked suspiciously.

"It is what Voldemort believes, and what he wishes to disprove."

"That's not what I asked. Is it you?" Black repeated.

"There are other things that would point to it being me," Severus admitted.

"What things?" Black asked. Severus sighed.

"What else did the Prophecy say?" Remus asked quietly.

"That the _chosen one_ would uncover the secrets of the soul," Severus whispered. Lily held her breath, waiting for the boys to react.

"What secrets? _Whose_ secrets? How..?" Potter rambled, his brow twisted in confusion. "And you've found out these things?"

"I discovered some things. Things Voldemort wants," Severus stated.

"What, you mean, apart from murdering Muggles and Muggleborns?" Potter asked suspiciously.

"That's not his primary aim. His pureblood followers are more eager for that, he encourages it but it's not his first priority."

"What is then?" Potter asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"For a start, he wants to prove to the world that he is the greatest wizard of all time. Second, he wants to be immortal."

"Immortal? He can do that?" Remus asked.

"There is a way, using very dark magic. He's tried it," Severus admitted.

"And you're trying to stop him?" Potter asked.

"Yes. He tied his soul to objects, to stop himself from dying," Severus said.

"The secrets of the soul," Remus whispered. "The diadem? The one Wormtail came for? Is that one of the objects?"

"It was. I destroyed it," Severus whispered. "As well as the book and cup mentioned last night"

"How many things has he tied himself to?" Black asked.

"There were two other things. Between Lily, Dumbledore and myself we found and destroyed them."

"You've been helping?" Potter asked, his eyes suddenly fixed on her.

"Of course I've been helping," she snapped back.

"So he's mortal again?" Remus asked.

"Unfortunately not," Severus sighed. "He knows his objects are missing, he's now tied himself to something else," he added quietly.

"Tied himself to what?" Black asked.

"A snake," Lily whispered.

"A snake? Like Trelawney spoke to you about?" Remus frowned. Lily nodded.

"Wait, what are you talking about, Moony?" Potter asked. Remus ran a hand nervously through his hair.

"Do you remember that morning Remus and I went to investigate a noise?" Lily asked, waiting for the two boys to nod before continuing. "It was Professor Trelawney, she tried to give me a Tarot reading and began talking. She spoke about fate, said my role was coming soon, that I would end the reign of the snake, and I'd do it to protect the chosen one."

"Bloody hell," Potter mumbled, ruffling his hair. "How have you two not gone insane with all this, it's been two years!" he added. Severus snorted.

"Why tell us now?" Black asked.

"I've already told you," Severus answered. "Sooner or later, this war needs to end. The snake needs to be killed before I can even attempt to get rid of Voldemort."

"And you want us all to go after the snake, instead of just Lily?" Potter asked.

"Not necessarily. Just watch her back during the battle, it will be impossible for me to do it if I'm duelling Voldemort," Severus pointed out. Lily squeezed his hand gently.

"But if something happens to me before I can remove the snake, then one of you will need to do it," she told them. The three Gryffindor boys all drew in deep breaths as they let the information sink in.

"This is all madness," Potter finally said.

"It is, but it doesn't make it any less true," she pointed out.

"Well, we're in anyway, whatever needs doing, we'll do it," Potter said, determination flashing across his face.

"Just, don't talk about any of this, with anyone else - not your girlfriends, not Ainscott, not other Order members. If you truly have to talk, it needs to be me or Lily."

"It's ok, Severus, we get it," Remus said gently. Severus looked nervous, nodding slowly but uncertainly. This was so far out of his comfort zone, trying to trust others. Trust the Marauders of all people.

The group lapsed into an uneasy silence then, no one sure exactly what they should talk about as Severus' information slowly sank in.

"So, you were meeting with Dumbledore, before this all started. That made _Him_ think the Prophecy applied to you," Potter finally spoke. "Why were you meeting with him?" he asked quietly. Severus sighed.

"That's not something I really wish to discuss."

"Too dangerous?" Potter frowned. Lily squeezed his fingers to reassure him. Severus shook his head, but he didn't speak.

"Was it your family?" Black asked, he knew how much a difficult family impacted on your life, he'd moved in with the Potter's to escape his own.

"You didn't get on with your Dad, did you?" Remus asked quietly.

"That's one way of putting it," Severus mumbled. "He was..." he trailed off. Lily wondered how much he would reveal of himself.

"A bastard?" Black suggested. Severus nodded in response. "I know what that's like."

"I thought your Dad was a Muggle," Potter said.

"And?" Severus frowned.

"Well, your Mum's a witch," Potter continued.

"And?"

"And what?" Potter asked, clearly confused.

"What does it have to do with anything? Magical? Muggle? There are good and bad in all walks," he pointed out.

"True, but he shouldn't have been able to hurt you. You and your Mum have magic," Potter said as if he were stating the obvious. Severus sighed.

"I wasn't of age until after he'd died. I couldn't use magic to defend myself, not without getting in even more trouble."

"But what about your Mum?"

"My father snapped her wand years ago. I don't really remember her ever using magic."

"How bad was it?" Potter asked sadly.

"Bad enough. Now, really, I don't wish to discuss it any further," Severus said quietly. Slowly, the other three boys nodded, slipping into another awkward silence. Severus' gaze was fixed on the floor, determined not to meet anyone's eyes. Lily shifted herself closer to him, trying to support him the only way she knew how. Eventually, he released her hand and slipped his arm around her, letting his fingers trail up and down her arm.

"So, what does everyone want to do next?" Remus eventually asked.

"I suppose we should revise ready for tomorrow," Potter said with a sigh.

"Or I could show you a new spell," Severus suggested.

"Really?" Black asked, the surprise evident as his posture became more upright.

"Now that sounds more fun than potions," Potter grinned.

"Of course it does," Remus laughed at his newly cheerful friends. Lily couldn't help but smile at the group of them.

As everyone got back to their feet, waiting and watching as Severus summoned one of the training dummies, she couldn't help but think about how much everyone had learned and changed since everything began. It was strange to think about the fact that Severus was sharing his spells, his creations with the boys who once made his life miserable. Yes, today was one of those days that she felt her love for Severus grow just a little bit more. Especially when he sighed, his shoulders dropping in resignation when Sirius Black decided it was time to think of a nickname for their new friend...

...

It was silent outside the dungeon classroom as the eight NEWT students waited to be called in for their exam. Severus was certain that both he and Lily would easily brew whatever was asked of them, though he couldn't say the same about everyone in the group. He was sure the other Gryffindors would at least pass, even if they didn't get an _Outstanding_ when all was finished - Prewett, Potter and Black all needed to pass their Potions NEWT as a requirement to proceed to their Auror training, and they'd actually taken that seriously.

Severus was sure Avery would fail, he'd taken it upon himself to attempt to fill Severus' shoes. Or at least, fill the position Lucius Malfoy had expected of him, before the memories started and he walked away from the Death Eaters completely. The Dark Lord had still wanted potions experts, or at least people who were willing and able to create and experiment with any number of poisons. Avery was never going to be a Potions Master, if Severus had anything to do with it, Avery would either be dead or in Azkaban before the summer was over, though he could prove dangerous in the meantime. Severus was still expecting him to attack in some way before school was over, kick out at either himself or Lily while they were still in kicking distance in an attempt to mess up their exams, or leave them with a gift that could linger into the summer, weakening them before they met Voldemort in battle. He hoped that Avery would keep his distance, he must know that getting caught would have him out of school and on his way to Azkaban, losing his Master one of his soldiers, and He would want to keep all his soldiers available to command. But if the looks that Avery kept directing at him were anything to go by, he would have to watch his back very carefully.

While he waited for Slughorn and whichever Ministry official would be joining them to oversee today's test, Severus found it hard to maintain his focus. His thoughts kept drifting, hopping from one thing to the next. Lily was the main focus of his brain, it kept drifting back to memories of falling asleep in her arms, the scent of her hair as he buried his nose in the silky tendrils. More disturbingly though, his mind kept reminding him of how much of himself he'd shared with the Marauders, wondering why he'd done it, wondering why he hadn't thought he'd been giving them ammunition to use against him. Wondering why it had felt natural to share with them.

He needed to push all that to one side, at least for the next three hours while they brewed whatever potion they were asked to, to demonstrate their competence. He glanced down at Lily as she squeezed his fingers, though she didn't say anything.

"You'll be fine, Lily," he whispered, trying to calm her nerves, not that he thought she any reason to be nervous. She still didn't say anything, only nodded in response. He lifted their joined hands, kissing her fingers gently, feeling better as she gave him a warm smile.

"Good morning, everyone," Professor Slughorn boomed as the dungeon door was thrown open. "Come in, come in," he instructed. Severus released her hand then, gesturing for her to lead the way.

"Good luck, Sev. You'll be great," she whispered, just before stepping through into the classroom.

"One student per table today, if you please. You'll each be working alone for your exam," Slughorn told them. Severus made sure to sit at the table closest to Lily's. "Now, before we begin, joining us today is Edgar Bones, on behalf of the Ministry to ensure that all progresses smoothly. I'm sure there won't be any issues with my NEWT students," he beamed happily. Severus frowned. He didn't know Edgar Bones, or know of him. He hoped it was someone on behalf of Dumbledore rather than Barty Crouch. Either way, he wouldn't have much opportunity to dwell on it, he needed to concentrate on brewing, he just didn't like the idea that he could be being watched for other reasons entirely. Though, he supposed he should be used to having his behaviour and motives scrutinised, there had always been someone watching him - his father, the Marauders, Dumbledore, Malfoy, Voldemort. He got the sinking feeling that he was only going to be watched more closely as time went on. And what about after the war? If he survived? If he defeated Voldemort? Everyone would know who he was. Severus swallowed nervously, uncomfortable with the direction his thoughts had taken. He'd never be left alone. Suddenly, defeating the Dark Lord didn't sound quite so appealing. Oh, he was still going to do all he could to remove him. He had to. But the aftermath wouldn't be altogether pleasant.

Severus had got so lost in his musings he almost missed when Professor Slughorn addressed the group again.

"Today's test potion is definitely one of the more challenging, though I have every faith you shall each succeed," Slughorn said. Severus pushed his earlier thoughts away determinedly. "Draught of Living Death," Slughorn said, pausing for effect. "Here are your instructions," he said as pieces of parchment appeared before them. "The ingredients cupboard is unlocked and ready for you. You may begin," he told them, beaming broadly.

The sound of chairs scraping across the stone floor filled the room as the other students moved to collect the necessary ingredients. Severus hung back, as did Lily, avoiding the rush as the others all tried to push their way to the front, all wanting to be the first to begin their potion. _Childish_. Severus knew better. There would be plenty of ingredients available, and there was certainly adequate time to complete their brewing. Severus caught her gaze, rolling his eyes at the other students' behaviour, Lily tried to suppress a smile in return.

It didn't take long for the students to head back to their places, all busying themselves with setting up their cauldrons as Severus and Lily finally selected their own ingredients, returning to their tables with their hands full of supplies. He was glad he'd memorised his alterations to the instructions, he'd be able to brew a much better quality potion than the rest of the group - apart from Lily, obviously, she'd have no trouble with this potion either. He'd never shared his tips with anyone other than her, so although they'd be able to brew something adequate, it would take them longer to finish. He wasn't going to rush himself and risk making a careless mistake, though he had made Draught of Living Death in under an hour before, to the absolute delight of Professor Slughorn.

The time passed quickly in a blur of dicing, chopping, juicing and stirring. Severus' mind emptied of all things except the potion he was brewing. That was one reason he loved brewing, it required attention to detail. It was a good way of clearing his mind, the only thing that mattered at that time was the potion. It was calming. The fact that potions were predictable helped, he wasn't going to get a nasty surprise, repeating the same steps would result in the same outcome. Not like people, people were unpredictable. He'd much rather stick to potions.

Satisfied that his potion was pretty much perfect, he bottled up a sample, carefully filling out the label and fixing it to the bottle. He had to wait for Slughorn to collect it, no one was to leave their seats once they'd begun brewing. Slughorn mostly sat behind his desk while everyone worked, his hands folded and resting on his rounded belly, his gaze flicked from person to person, looking more than content with proceedings. The professor gave him a broad smile as he noticed his brewing was complete, like he could somehow take credit for Severus' work and alterations. The other man, however, didn't stay in one position for too long. He didn't continually pace but he made sure to observe from different vantage points, watching everyone cautiously. Severus couldn't help but notice the man's eyes landed on him several times, and he didn't know for what reason. Hopefully it was all just part of fulfilling his role as invigilator, observing all students as they worked. But he couldn't help but feel there was a touch of curiosity there, just below the surface. What was he curious about? Who had mentioned his name to him? Barty Crouch? Dumbledore? _Both?_ Severus sighed, rubbing his forehead in an attempt to stave off the headache he knew would soon start to develop. When he glanced around again, he noticed Lily's concerned eyes were on him, she'd obviously picked up on his growing frustrations as his thoughts raced. He attempted a reassuring smile, though he knew it more closely resembled a grimace. Thankfully it wouldn't be long now until they were released from the dungeons and they'd be able to discuss things properly.

Eventually, Professor Slughorn called _time_ on the exam, and meandered around the desks, collecting everyone's labelled vials and placing them in a tray ready for assessment. Within minutes, they'd all been dismissed and with relieved murmurs students began filing out of the room. Lily was close behind him as they stepped back into the corridor, just as he reached for her hand, she was shoved at him as Avery barged passed her, mumbling something to her that was no doubt offensive. Severus quickly steadied her, keeping his arm around her as he glared at Avery's stupid scowling face.

"What's your problem?" Potter snapped at him.

"None of your concern," Avery answered coolly.

"Oh, I think it is," Black said, as he and Potter levelled their wands on him. Avery did nothing apart from smirk.

"Well, isn't this touching," he sneered. "Bunch of blood traitors all looking after their pet Mudblood."

Severus felt his anger bubbling, and tried to keep calm, forcing himself not to reach for his own wand.

"You're pathetic," Severus finally spat at him.

"Really? You lot are the pathetic ones. The Dark Lord will get rid of you all soon enough though," he growled menacingly.

"I'd like to see him try," Black taunted cockily, thrusting his wand closer the obnoxious Slytherin.

"What's going on out here?" Slughorn's voice suddenly asked, the noise of the taunts finally prompting the man to investigate.

"Just the usual, Sir," Severus answered quietly.

"Is there a reason you boys have your wands drawn on Mr Avery?" he enquired.

"Of course there's a reason," Black answered. "Avery and his foul mouth."

"I have no idea what he's talking about, Sir," Avery told him calmly.

"Mmm, well, I suggest you lower your wands boys," Slughorn said, watching as Potter and Black tucked their wands back into their robes. "Why don't you all head on up to lunch then, hmm?" he suggested casually, obviously hoping that the tension would disappear of its own accord. Severus kept his eyes on Avery, there was no doubt he could be dangerous if he wanted. Thankfully, Avery didn't say another word, only stalked off after a final satisfied smirk.

"Are you alright, Miss Evans?" the professor asked once Avery had disappeared.

"Yes, I'm fine, Professor. He pushed me, but I'm not hurt," she told him, offering a small smile.

"What did he say to you?" Severus asked.

"You know, the usual," she shrugged. "Just called me a Mudblood," she added quietly. Severus wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her close against his chest.

"But you're not hurt?" Slughorn checked again.

"I'm not hurt," she reassured him.

"Very well," he nodded. "Well, why don't you all head upstairs then," he said, gesturing wildly with his arms.

Severus reached for Lily's hand, leading her away from the dungeons, following Potter and Black as they headed for the stairs. Jessica Marshall and Harriet Fletcher were waiting for the group and promptly dragged Lily away with them, sending the boys on ahead to lunch.

The atmosphere in the Great Hall felt very different to the one they left in the dungeons. It had seemed so tense down there, in close proximity to someone they knew was a marked Death Eater, and someone he expected to attack either himself or Lily. Up here it seemed so much more relaxed, everyone oblivious to the potential dangers that were living right alongside them. Or they were in denial, turning a blind eye to reality and happily living in a bubble of ignorance, where the only potential troubles were failing their exams, or not having a date for the final Hogsmeade visit of the year. Or maybe they weren't in denial at all; maybe they were still innocent in the ways of war. Severus hadn't been innocent for a long time.

Severus sat at the Gryffindor table, yet again. Since the Marauders had joined the training sessions, he seemed to have been accepted as an almost 'honorary Gryffindor', and although that thought made him shudder internally, just a little bit, at least it meant he was safe. For the first time in his life, it seemed there was someone other than Lily who was on the same side as him, who would watch his back. He was still getting used to that concept. No one seemed to so much as bat an eye at his presence, even though Lily wasn't currently beside him.

"What do you think Avery said to her?" Potter asked quietly.

"Probably what she said. It wouldn't be the first time he's called her that," Severus answered sadly.

"He's just an arsehole," Potter grumbled.

"True," Severus agreed. _Arsehole_ was probably a generous description.

"Slughorn should have done something."

"Such as? At this point I seriously doubt losing house points, or even giving him a detention is going to make the slightest bit of difference," Severus pointed out.

"I suppose," Potter mumbled sadly. "Do you think he's going to join them? The Death Eaters?"

"I would have thought the answer to that was obvious."

"Yeah, he is," Potter answered himself. He didn't need Severus to confirm it, or to point out that the scumbag had already been marked, was marked alongside their former friend.

"What's taking the girls so long?" Black suddenly asked. Severus frowned, glancing at the door. They hadn't been _that_ long. Had they?

"You know what girls are like," Potter shrugged, not at all concerned with their absence. "Lily's probably filling them in on this morning's exam, they have theirs this afternoon," he added.

"I can't believe they had us do Draught of Living Death," Black complained, shaking his head.

"Well you managed it, didn't you?" Severus pointed out.

"Yeah, but not like you and Lily. I don't know how you do it," Potter said.

"Practice," Severus suggested with a shrug. Of course, an instinct for it helped too.

"I bloody hate cutting up those beans," Black grumbled. Severus fought back a smirk.

"So why cut them?" Severus asked innocently, actually smirking when he was met with their confused faces. "There are other ways of getting juice out of them," he elaborated.

"Oh? Like what?" Potter asked.

"Honestly, in all the years you've been watching me, you've never taken note of me working in Potions?" he asked curiously. Potter and Black still looked confused. "Well, for a start, crushing them with the blade works better than trying to cut them."

"You tell us this _now_?" Black sighed in exasperation.

"You never asked," Severus shrugged casually, turning his attention back to the food on the table.

"Severus!" Harriet Fletcher's voice suddenly shouted out. Severus glanced up, frowning as he saw the girl running towards him between the tables.

"What's wrong?" Black asked his girlfriend worriedly.

"It's Lily. Jess has taken her to the Hospital Wing!" she said quickly.

"Hospital Wing?" Severus snapped, virtually jumping up from the bench, following Fletcher as she turned to head back the way she came. "What happened?"

"I'm not exactly sure," she said quietly. "We were heading towards the Great Hall when she was suddenly lifted up in the air - like your spell does."

"So you've got no idea who did it?" he asked. It was a non-verbal spell so they wouldn't have heard anyone casting it.

"There were a few people around, but I didn't see anyone pointing their wand at her. I assume they were hiding," she said as they ran up the stairs.

"What happened next?"

"They released her pretty quick, before any of us could even get our wands out. She landed badly on her arm and hit her head. Jess was taking her to the Hospital Wing, while I came to fetch you," she explained. Severus nodded, his thoughts racing, trying to think who would want to hurt her. Well, the Death Eaters, obviously. Avery would have been his prime suspect, but he'd been at the Slytherin table the whole time, as was Wilkes. The only other person Severus knew for a fact was marked, was Regulus Black, but there was no way he would have done that to Lily. That meant there was either someone else already marked, or someone was trying to impress the Death Eaters. Unless Regulus gave him any more names, or had information about it, it was going to be difficult to narrow down the suspects.

Fletcher pushed the door to the Hospital Wing open, Severus followed her quickly inside. The door hadn't even fully closed before it opened again as Potter and Black joined them. The bed in the corner was the only one with the curtains closed, Severus walked quickly towards it.

"Madam Pomfrey?" he called.

"She's in here, Mr Snape," the matron's voice answered from behind the curtain. Severus stepped inside. Lily appeared to be sleeping as Madam Pomfrey healed her wrist.

"Is she ok?" Severus asked quietly.

"She'll be fine. Her wrist was fractured, but that's all healed now. And she's taken a bump to the head, but I expect she should wake soon," she assured him. "Would you like to stay with her, Severus?"

"Yes please," he answered, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I'll be back in a moment," she said, before bustling back to her office.

"Harriet tell you what happened?" Jessica Marshall asked him.

"Mmm. And no idea who did it?"

"No, we didn't see or hear anything. We were walking back then the next second she was lifted up in the air and dropped down. It was all so fast," she said helplessly. Severus nodded.

"Just keep an ear open, in case anyone talks about it," he said.

"I should be going, now you're here. Harriet and I have our Potions exam this afternoon," Severus didn't answer, only nodded blankly in response, his eyes never leaving Lily's face as he slid into the chair Marshall vacated beside her bed.

Severus reached for her hand. It was concerning, that the group of girls had been ambushed that way. Someone had been able to take them by surprise and hurt her. True, she wasn't _badly_ hurt, in the grand scheme of things. But it was a harsh reminder that for all their planning and training, they could be ambushed at any time, by anyone. And with the usual suspects accounted for at the time, that left someone unknown making a move. He hoped he'd be able to discuss this with Regulus, maybe he would have ideas, names of those who were waiting in line to join Voldemort's army of marked men. Maybe this was an attempt to get the attention of the Death Eaters, letting them know they had sympathisers inside the castle's walls.

It definitely wasn't a coincidence that the victim happened to be Lily. She was targeted deliberately. And he would once again, have to wait for answers. And wait for Lily to wake up so he could be entirely certain that she was as _fine_ as Madam Pomfrey suggested.

 **A/N - apologies for the delay lovely readers, it's been a rather eventful week (including a minor unexpected operation for me, accompanying my Mum to a number of Dr's appointments, my husband having his motorbike stolen at work for the third time, and getting my eldest ready for Viking day at school!) I'll take a deep breath now!**

 **I've been tinkering with this chapter for a couple of weeks now, it's one that I've really struggled with for some reason. The next couple of chapters seemed to flow much easier (I have up to 86 complete and am beginning 87). Only 2 more chapters left at Hogwarts, then it's off into hiding and the push towards the end will begin. I'm still expecting the story to be around 100 chapters when it's complete, it just depends how much I go into the aftermath of the war and how long it takes me to wrap up all the threads. Take care everyone, see you soon x**


	84. Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Lily did not want to move. She could feel awareness slowly coming back to her but she didn't want to open her eyes. It was light, that much she knew, she could feel the light trying to force its way through her eyelids. It couldn't be morning already. _Could it?_ Had she gone to bed? She didn't remember going to bed, but she supposed she must have done.

A dull throb in her head and an ache in her wrist forced its way into her now conscious mind, reminding her of something else. A fall? An attack? It was a bit hazy when she tried to think about it, she wasn't entirely sure. She remembered being in her Potions exam, she remembered leaving, Avery shoving her on the way out, chatting with Jess and Harriet, a vague recollection of hitting the floor. She screwed her eyes up tighter, her brow creasing with the effort to search her memories.

"Are you awake, Lily?" Severus' voice asked her softly.

"Mmm," she mumbled, still not wanting to open her eyes, between the headache and the nausea growing in the pit of her stomach she was worried she'd be sick if she did.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Are you in pain?"

"Mmm, a few aches," she admitted, taking deep breaths through her nose in an attempt to disperse the feelings. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About an hour."

"Is that all?"

"You've not been here long, Madam Pomfrey hasn't given you any potions yet, hence the aches," he explained. Lily heard the rustling of the curtain that surrounded the bed, her curiosity got the better of her then as she cautiously peeked an eye open, greeted by the sight of the school matron placing a small tray on the table beside her bed.

"Ah, glad to see you're awake, Miss Evans," she whispered quietly, smiling warmly at her.

"I'd really rather not be," she admitted, snapping her eye shut again.

"Understandable," Madam Pomfrey chuckled softly. "I have some potions for you which may change your mind, if not, a nap won't do any harm now," she added. Lily nodded slowly, not lifting her head from the pillows."One for pain," Madam Pomfrey explained. Lily forced her eyes open to look. "I'm sure your head is a little tender." Lily nodded slowly again. "Something for nausea, often needed with head injuries."

"Head injury?" she asked with a frown.

"You don't remember what happened?" Severus asked her worriedly. Lily shook her head slightly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it will come back to you," Madam Pomfrey assured them, she didn't seem concerned in the slightest. "And finally, a mild dose of Skele-gro for your wrist - you had a slight fracture but I've healed that already, this is just to help strengthen it," she said with a smile.

Lily pushed herself up enough to take the potions as they were passed to her one at a time. She sighed with relief as the aches started to lessen and nausea faded away.

"Better?" Severus asked.

"Much better," she agreed, smiling at the two watching over her.

"I'll be back to check on you in a little while, if you're still ok after dinner this evening you can go to your dormitory," Lily thanked the matron as she retreated back to her office.

Now she'd taken the potions she felt much better all around, and much more awake. Severus helped rearrange the pillows behind her as she sat herself up more fully.

"So, what happened then?" she asked as he sat in the chair beside the bed.

"What do you remember up until?" he asked as he reached for her hand.

"I was with Jess and Harriet, we were going to the Great Hall to meet back up with you and the others for lunch. I think I fell, but I'm not sure," she said. Severus nodded slowly.

"Harriet came to fetch me, she said you were suddenly lifted up, and dropped down on the floor. You landed badly on your wrist - I assume you tried to protect your head - and banged your head," he explained. "She said it all happened fast, neither of them had time to react."

"I see," she said, frowning. That was worrying. "Lifted up..?"

"My Levicorpus jinx," he said quietly.

"So no idea who did it?"

"Unfortunately not," he said. Lily sighed.

"Did Harriet or Jess see anything, or anyone acting suspiciously?"

"They said they didn't see anything, though I've not had chance to talk to them properly, they had to leave as soon as I got here."

"Oh yeah, they have their own exam this afternoon, don't they?" she said as that piece of information drifted back to her.

"I'm sure they'll come and see you when they're finished," he said, squeezing her fingers. "As I'm sure the others will."

"Others?"

"Potter and Black followed us up here, Madam Pomfrey shooed them out, but I'm sure they'll want to see that you're ok," he said. Lily nodded slowly.

"Do you have any guesses, about who might have done it?" she asked him.

"I'm not sure. The obvious suspects were at the Slytherin table at the time, so..." he trailed off.

"So that leaves someone new," she finished. He nodded sadly.

"What exactly did Avery say to you?"

"He said 'you need to watch yourself, Mudblood,'" she told him. "Do you think he knew? Was that a threat?"

"Probably. So there's someone else doing their dirty work," he mused.

"Someone that's not marked?"

"If it's someone marked and they get caught, they'll be handed over to the Aurors. Voldemort wouldn't like that."

"So either they're forcing someone to do their dirty work, or someone is doing it to gain favour with the Death Eaters."

"Neither of those options are particularly pleasant," she said. Either way it was disturbing. Either way she was a target.

"I'm hoping Regulus might know something, even if it's just names of people that are potentially interested in joining that side."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Who else knows about your spell? Can you narrow it down that way?"

"Not really. Potter and Black learned of it from the notes in my book. Mulciber went through my things when he was still here - he stole my cutting curse, no doubt he memorised that one too. I'm sure he'll have taught it to others, I have no idea who exactly he's shared it with - apart from Avery, Wilkes and Regulus it could be anyone," he shrugged helplessly.

"Have any teachers been by to look into it?"

"Not yet. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will report it to Dumbledore."

"I guess he'll want to talk to Jess and Harriet when their exam is over," she said. That would make the most sense. The Headmaster knew she was a target because of the war and her link to Severus. If someone had injured her enough to require a trip to the Hospital Wing, surely he'd want to at least attempt to investigate. Besides, they needed to know if it was someone marked, or an unknown enemy.

Severus frowned as they heard the door to the Hospital Wing opening, followed by quiet footsteps.

"Severus? Lily? Are you in here?" they heard Remus asking in a hushed whisper. Lily breathed a sigh of relief.

"We're in here, Lupin," Severus answered. The curtain was tentatively drawn back, revealing Remus' concerned face. Lily offered him a smile which seemed to relax him immediately.

"You're awake then, that's good," Remus said, stepping inside the curtained area.

"Mmm, I think I was lucky really," she admitted.

"Lucky?" Severus asked with a sharp frown.

"You know what I mean," she sighed.

"Well, I'm glad you're ok," Remus said. "These are for you, from me, James and Sirius," he told her as he handed her a box of Honeydukes chocolates.

"Thanks, Remus. And tell them thanks as well for me," she said with a smile.

"I take it they've been for a little stroll, have they?" Severus asked.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that," Remus said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow which confirmed that they had. Well, it wouldn't be the first time they'd made a quick trip to Hogsmeade through one of the passageways - the invisibility cloak and a direct link to Honeydukes itself made the excursion just too tempting for those boys.

"But you're really ok?" Remus asked, his attention becoming concerned again.

"I'm ok, hopefully I'll be back in Gryffindor tower tonight," she told him. "Where are they anyway?"

"Who? James and Sirius?" Remus asked. Lily nodded. "I believe they are attempting to do a little investigating. They're watching the map to see if Avery meets up with anyone that might give some clues as to who did it."

"It couldn't hurt," she agreed. At the very least it could give them some names for Severus to check with Regulus, or pass on to the Headmaster to question.

"I should be off anyway. Hopefully I'll see you later," Remus said with a relaxed smile.

"Hopefully," she agreed. "Thanks, Remus."

Remus nodded, mumbling goodbyes to them both before he slipped back out of the curtained area, neither she or Severus saying a word as they listened to his footsteps taking him away, the sound of the heavy door closing as he left the Hospital Wing completely.

"Well, hopefully they'll see something on the map," she said, squeezing Severus' fingers as his gaze lingered on the curtains.

"Mmm," he nodded, still lost in thought. "Yes, the map," he agreed.

"And hopefully Jess and Harriet will stop by later, they might remember something else about what happened," she pointed out, that was a possibility. And there was a chance she would remember something more of what happened, though with them using a non-verbal spell, it wasn't like they had a voice to try and track down. They would have to try and remember who exactly had been in the area at the time and see if anything stood out.

Lily almost thought about asking Severus to see if he could use Legilimency to help clear up the memory, though she wasn't entirely sure if it was safe to use it for that purpose. They should at least check with Dumbledore first. Like most things that happened to them, more questions were raised. And at the moment, she wasn't sure if this was something they'd get answers to.

...

"So, what do I tell him, Albus? He's going to want to know about what happened today," Edgar asked as he lowered himself into one of the seats in the Headmaster's office.

"I'm sure he is, but there really isn't anything to report to him. Is there?" Albus replied calmly. "Unfortunately, things like this _do_ happen at school, surely you remember your own school days, Edgar?" he asked with a smile. Edgar sighed, a small smile on his lips that was no doubt partly down to fond memories, and part exasperation.

"We both know this wasn't a regular _prank,_ " he pointed out.

"Indeed, but with no evidence to go on, what would you suggest?" Albus asked. "Informing Barty? Bringing the Aurors to the school? Questioning each and every student?" Albus paused in his questions. "Edgar, you know that would do more harm than good, and the disruption it would create would not do those sitting exams any good at all."

"At the very least Avery should be spoken to."

"Mr Avery was in the Great Hall at the time it happened - Severus saw him there himself."

"Perhaps he didn't attack Miss Evans personally, but he knew something would happen."

"I'm sure he did, but again, comments like that aren't exactly out of the ordinary," he said sadly.

"And the comments are never punished?" Edgar asked with a frown. Albus sighed. "Horace didn't issue any sort of punishment, even when Miss Evans told him what happened."

"It is not always that way," he tried to assure his friend. "Students are issued detention; they lose house points, tasked to write letters of apology, in most cases."

"But not when it comes to Avery?" Edgar asked with a frown. Albus sighed. "And what about for Miss Evans' sake? Surely she deserves to know that something was done for her."

"Of course she deserves it, Edgar. Any victim deserves to know that someone has sought justice for them. But you know this is a delicate situation."

"I know. It just seems unfair," he said quietly.

"It is. Unfortunately there is much in the world that is currently unfair. We are striving to change that, are we not?"

"Of course."

"This runs deeper than an unkind word and a broken arm, Edgar. So much needs changing, but until the war is ended, attitudes will not change - on either side," he said calmly. Eventually, Edgar nodded.

"And you've spoken to Miss Evans about what happened?"

"I have. She was attacked with a non-verbal spell, suffering a fractured wrist and bump to the head. She has been healed and is back in her dormitory. Of course, she'd like to know who did it -"

"But with a non-verbal spell that'll be close to impossible to track them down."

"Quite. Neither Miss Evans nor the two friends she was with at the time saw anybody acting out of the ordinary. So again, our avenues of pursuit are limited."

"Unless someone comes forward and admits to seeing something," Edgar pointed out.

"True. There is a chance that someone may do exactly that. And she has other friends who are most resourceful and may uncover the culprit," he said with a smile.

"Oh? And that's a good idea, is it? Letting her friends do the digging instead of the Aurors?" he asked with some small amount of amusement.

"Oh I'd say so, Edgar. You know what is at stake here. Barty would round everyone up and send them to Azkaban."

"He would," Edgar agreed.

"While I agree, if anyone puts others in danger, they _should_ be taken there. But I cannot justify allowing them to be taken just for being marked. That is currently their only crime, and they have not all taken the mark willingly, they should be given the opportunity to prove their loyalties without a doubt. Some may choose not to fight when the time comes, some may come to me and ask me to hide them. If I turn them over now, it will only push them further into Voldemort's clutches. As I said before, attitudes need to change, and it will not happen easily, or overnight."

"But Avery is marked?"

"I believe he is," he admitted sadly. He knew without a doubt he was marked, Regulus had passed that bit of information on after witnessing his initiation at the Lestrange's.

"So what do I tell Crouch?"

"Barty has asked you to watch certain students, has he not?"

"He has."

"For a variety of reasons."

"Yes."

"So, what do you need to tell him?"

"I need to tell him enough that he knows I've done my job, not so much that he perceives a reason to intervene."

"Have you seen anything suspicious of the ones you are watching?"

"Generally, no," he admitted. "And if Miss Evans hadn't ended up in the Hospital Wing I would have said there was absolutely nothing to report."

"And does he need to know about her trip to the Hospital Wing?"

"If it were any other student, I would say no – as you said, pranks happen."

"Have you been asked to watch Miss Evans?" Albus asked.

"Surprisingly, no," he said with a sigh. "Though, given the interest in Severus Snape - on both sides of the war - it would make sense to watch her as well."

"Indeed." Of course it made sense, she was nearly always by Severus' side, and they made no secret of their plans to marry. "I suppose that would make your report a little easier to manage, then."

"Just the little matter of Avery"

"And no reason to hide what he has done - he pushed a Muggleborn girl and called her an offensive name. There is little point in ignoring that, by all means watch him, have the others watch him - I will be watching him myself." Albus said casually, and he would be watching, he watched many of the students far more closely than they suspected or realised. Edgar eventually nodded in agreement.

"Are you scheduled to be back here at Hogwarts at all?" Albus asked him.

"Actually, I am. I should be here on Monday and Tuesday next week."

"Excellent," Albus smiled, genuinely pleased that he would be returning, he wouldn't be worrying what information found its way back to Barty Crouch on those days.

"Moody's quite relieved that he's not being sent here to observe," Edgar pointed out.

"I'm sure he is. Alastor is too well known, I believe,"

"His reputation precedes him," Edgar laughed.

"It does rather," Albus agreed. There was no way Alastor Moody could pose as a Ministry invigilator, his name was frequently mentioned in newspaper reports, most would know he was an Auror immediately, then everyone would know the Aurors were watching the school. That just might cause some to panic and act rashly.

"He's mainly sending junior ranked Aurors, ones that haven't drawn a great deal of attention to themselves. He was thinking of sending a couple of the trainees, get them to put some of their observation skills to the test."

"And hope that they report back more fully," he suggested with a raised eyebrow.

"No doubt about that," Edgar chuckled. Of course Barty would rely on his newest trainees' loyalties. He didn't know that a couple of them were already members of the Order.

"Of course, some of the newest trainees have friends currently in their seventh year, feel free to advise him to choose who he sends carefully, if he doesn't wish it to be known that the Aurors are watching." Albus suggested.

"I'll let him know," Edgar agreed with a smile. "Anyway, I should be getting back to the office, before he thinks there really is something to report," he added.

"Of course, Edgar. I shall see you at the Order meeting Saturday?" Albus enquired.

"I'll be there," he assured him with a smile as he rose from his chair, grabbing a handful of floo powder and disappearing through the fireplace in a flash of green back to the Ministry.

Albus didn't envy the job Edgar had to do, filling Barty in on what he'd observed of the students he was interested in. But why was Lily Evans not on his list? It didn't make sense, her family was in hiding because Voldemort wanted them dead. Was that not enough to have her watched? Was it because they were Muggles and Lily a Muggleborn? He sincerely hoped that was not the case, they were facing enough problems as it was thanks to the Death Eaters beliefs. If Ministry departments were acting in a similar discriminatory fashion, that didn't bode well. Or maybe Barty didn't believe she had anything to contribute in a fight, maybe he only perceived her to be the fiancée of Severus Snape - the man who was attracting the most attention thanks to the Prophecy. Was the prejudice due to the fact that Lily Evans was female? That level of sexism was still a concern, he had hoped the Wizarding world was striving to become more enlightened - but the Ministry wasn't interested in observing any female students at all, suggesting at least some members still held on to more outdated viewpoints. And the Death Eaters certainly didn't view women as holding an equal power - they didn't mark women unless they did something particularly noteworthy, proved themselves exceptional in some way, showed that they were as ruthless, cruel and sadistic as any member already marked. Voldemort certainly didn't hold women in high regard, his mother's death so soon after his birth had given him an extremely twisted set of beliefs on the strength of women and the power of love.

There were definitely numerous things that their society would need to change, but Voldemort was their biggest enemy for the time being. Once he was gone, they could work together to enable their society to progress. Though for now, those viewpoints could be used to their advantage. No one was aware of Trelawney's words to Lily regarding her role with the snake, the Ministry had no current plans to watch her, for any reason - they were more interested in Severus and the Prophecy, the two Gryffindor Animagi, and the marked men.

Voldemort would only want to hurt Lily to get to Severus, not because of the role she would play in his removal. It seemed that key players on both sides of this war would underestimate her entirely. He could only hope that that error in judgment would be the key to Voldemort's downfall.

...

Regulus was hidden in the restricted section of the library, his belongings at a nearby table as he waited for Michael Avery to arrive. Time was passing by far too quickly, barely a fortnight now until school finished for the summer, and he still had no idea what he was going to do.

Up until Christmas, his path had been clear as crystal. He would follow the exact route his parents had paved for him, he would honour their teachings and instructions. Regulus would live to become the epitome of Pureblood society and follow the orders of a certain wizard who sought to revolutionise their world entirely. A wizard who could halt the progress that was being made towards a certain demographic. The Muggleborns. _Mudbloods._

Regulus had done all he could to be accepted into the Dark Lord's ranks - of course, the generous donations his parents made had helped get him started, but it was his own merits that saw him marked. His parents had been thrilled when he took the mark of the Dark Lord at just sixteen, no one had heard of another being marked at such a young age. It was most definitely an honour. At the time, he too had perceived it an honour, how could he view it otherwise? He'd only just completed his OWL's and had been given such a gift, accepted into the Dark Lord's circle. Yes, he truly was such a privileged young man, wasn't he?

It had barely taken four months for all of that to come crashing down. Sixteen years of his parents teachings coming unravelled in one fell swoop. The Dark Lord had treated Kreacher so appallingly that it made him question everything else. His treatment of the little house elf was only the beginning, and the closer he looked at his other activities, the more sickened he was by them. How could he stand by and do nothing as the atrocities continued? And they could only be called atrocities, now that he'd taken the blinkers off. It wasn't simply a case of making a new hierarchy, rearranging social structures. It was murder. The Dark Lord and his Death Eaters wanted to permanently remove anyone they didn't deem _fit_ into their new world order. They hated Muggles, torturing them was a hobby. They thought Muggleborns were just as bad, little more than Muggles posing as Wizards; their magic couldn't possibly be as powerful, as pure, as _right,_ as that which belonged to Purebloods with magic that had flowed through the veins of their ancestors for centuries. They could and should be hunted too, at the very least they couldn't be allowed to mingle with legitimate wizards, couldn't risk magical blood being diluted and polluted.

Those thoughts, those teachings made him feel sick. At the end of the day, they were all still human. That should count for more than it currently did. He'd wanted nothing to do with the Dark Lord after those revelations, but that still didn't answer what he would do next.

Ever since the New Year he'd done whatever he could to bring information to Severus Snape, the one the Dark Lord believed had the power to vanquish him. He'd given him names of marked men, he'd told him of the location of the locket after Kreacher's narrow escape. Hell, he'd even stolen the cup from Bella's home when Snape asked him for it. It seemed as though the choice had been made, at least, he'd admitted it to himself anyway. The Dark Lord needed removing before it was too late. But what next?

Could he carry on the way he was? Continue to play the good little Death Eater, meeting with his _colleagues_ , gathering names whenever he could. If he carried on this way, would he be able to pass information to Severus or Dumbledore and help them remove the Dark Lord? Would he be able to act as spy and give the Light an advantage, however small? Would he be able to act as spy without getting caught? His occlumency skills would only take him so far. If he was caught by Bella or their Master he'd be killed on the spot. That thought was terrifying to say the least.

Part of him was terrified to return home at all, back to his parents and their gushing praise at his decision, and the angry tirades about the brother that abandoned his family and all they held dear. Could he face that again? If he went home, he'd be summoned to fight, the war was going to continue until Severus and the Dark Lord finally came face to face. And Severus would have to win. If he failed to appear when summoned, that would lead to him being punished or killed, he couldn't be a coward, he would have to follow orders. Which could mean murder. It could mean fighting his brother, Sirius was going to fight for Dumbledore after all, each of them would be following their orders from their own commander. Only Regulus knew the one commanding him was infinitely more evil and twisted than the one commanding Sirius. Not for the first time, Regulus knew his brother hadn't made completely the wrong choices in life. Sirius saw the error in their parents' teachings, saw the Dark Lord for what he was, long before Regulus did.

The more he thought about it, the more he thought at least _attempting_ to spy was his only option. He didn't think he could live with his conscience if he continued to blindly follow orders as he would be expected to. He would have to go to Dumbledore, he supposed. It was highly unlikely that Severus would be able to either take charge of him and his reports, and not likely the Ministry would take Severus' word that Regulus was acting on behalf of the Light - even if he did defeat the Dark Lord. Though, he could always be surprised. No, perhaps it was finally time to talk to Dumbledore face to face and set the details for what exactly his role would entail. So far, their only meaningful meeting had come on the train when he last returned to school. It was either that or beg Dumbledore to hide him until the war was over. Regulus sighed, shaking his head as he ran his fingers lightly over the dusty shelf. Begging was not an option, neither was hiding. He'd got himself into this mess, had helped a madman bring darkness to the wizarding world, now it was time to help end it.

"Are you listening, or what?" Avery's voice cut into his thoughts, he was trying to keep it low while they were in the library, but his annoyance was clear.

"What's your problem now?" Regulus hissed back, matching the other boys glare. As time passed, it became harder for him to continue on as he'd always done with the other Death Eaters.

"I said he'll be here in a minute," Avery snapped.

"Who's going to be here?" Regulus asked with a scowl.

"Have you listened to a word I've said?"

"Obviously not," Regulus sighed. It would be a cold day in Hell before Michael Avery said something worth listening to.

"You might have a good name, but don't start getting all cocky, we still have a job to do," Avery warned.

"Whatever," Regulus whispered. "So who's going to be here, then?"

"A new friend. I'm surprised you haven't built bridges with him yourself, but I suppose after that fiasco with Pettigrew you've hardly got the best judgment."

"I think you'll find it was Malfoy that made the introductions, I tried to cut him loose when it was obvious he was useless," he pointed out.

"Mmm," Avery mumbled dubiously.

"So, is this someone you can introduce to Him?" Regulus asked quietly.

"Eventually. He'll need to prove himself more first, obviously. Plus, he's only in his fifth year, so not going to be able to contribute much to the fight yet," he explained.

"Well, most of the fifth year Slytherin's are biding their time; they want to join when they leave Hogwarts."

"Oh, this one isn't Slytherin, which makes it so interesting. Seems that the other houses are starting to see sense. They know who's going to win this war," he smirked.

"I think it's fairly obvious who's going to win," Regulus stated, outwardly appearing to agree with Avery's statement. Inwardly, not so much. "So, is this one Ravenclaw or Gryffindor?" he asked, feigning curiosity.

"Ravenclaw, and you might want to keep your voice down in here," a new voice stated, joining their conversation. Regulus glance up to see their visitor leaning casually against the bookshelf, looking more than a little pleased with himself.

"Crouch? Are you mental?" Regulus asked in a whisper as he turned his attention back to Avery.

"What's the problem now?" Avery hissed.

"His father is the head of the Auror department, you idiot, that's what the problem is," Regulus hissed back, more than a little annoyed. Barty Crouch Junior seemed perfectly at ease as he took in their exchange, inspecting his nails as though they were the height of interest.

"Calm down, will you?" Avery snapped. "It may have escaped your notice, but Barty here doesn't exactly see eye to eye with his old man," Avery explained quietly.

"Is that so?" Regulus asked with a raised eyebrow, more than a little suspicious of the blonde haired boy. Crouch Senior would do anything to round up the Death Eaters, he wouldn't put it past him to send his son in an attempt to gather names.

"Look," Crouch finally spoke, pushing himself away from the book case and taking a step closer. "My father hates me, almost as much as I hate him, all he cares about is his work, not about how his actions affect his family."

"But he's on Dumbledore's side," Regulus pointed out.

"No, he's on the Ministry's side, he doesn't trust Dumbledore, he knows he's up to something. But, the Ministry will still exist when the Dark Lord wins this war, he'll still have a use for my father. We're a pureblood family, it doesn't make sense to stand against him. If we join him now, we'll be rewarded, won't we?" Crouch argued.

"That's why you want to serve the Dark Lord? You want to be rewarded?" Regulus asked.

"Doesn't everyone?" he queried. Regulus supposed that was true, everyone wanted something. "I want to be something better, something greater than my father. He would have me follow him to the Ministry, some low level menial work for him. He is afraid my talents will outshine him, he thinks I should _know my place,_ " he whispered bitterly.

"And you think the Dark Lord can give you that?"

"He could help me, on my way to greatness. He would have my loyalty to his cause, he could help me gain the recognition I desire."

"Do you think it will be that simple - fight for the Dark Lord and become something great?" Regulus asked.

"I'm not stupid, of course it's not that simple. I am aware the Dark Lord requires proof of devotion, and it will be ongoing. I know it will take time to prove myself worthy of his attentions. I will not disappoint him," Crouch whispered. Whatever else Regulus thought, it seemed as though Crouch junior really wanted to make a name for himself among the Dark Lord's followers.

"So, how do you intend to prove yourself to the Dark Lord?" Regulus asked carefully.

"Well, for a start it was me who sent Snape's Mudblood to the Hospital Wing," Crouch smirked.

"Is that so? You weren't seen in the area, that I heard anyway. She was with those two Ravenclaw girls, I think if they'd spotted you, I would have heard your name whispered about by now."

"As I've said, I'm not stupid. I know how to act without drawing attention. There's an alcove, hidden by a tapestry in that hallway. Between that and a disillusionment charm it wasn't difficult to remain hidden. The non verbal spell made it all just too easy, she was up in the air and dropped on her head before anyone realised anything was going on," he chuckled quietly. Avery snorted, moving to clap Crouch on the back with his approval.

"He told me he was going to try and do something. Granted, he could have hit her with something a bit more interesting, but at least she got a day in the Hospital Wing," Avery said proudly. "It was a good start though, and no one suspects him in the slightest, so looks like a win for us, eh?" he grinned. Regulus wanted to cringe, he knew he couldn't though if he wanted to play his role convincingly.

"Well, it seems I may have underestimated you then, Crouch," Regulus said, plastering on a fake smirk.

"I'm sure you won't do it again," Crouch challenged.

"Indeed. That sentiment works both ways, do keep it in mind," Regulus warned in response.

"Naturally," Crouch drawled.

"So, what did you have in mind next?"

"I'm not sure. I'm aware the Dark Lord wants Snape for himself, and continually going after Evans is going to get boring fast. Perhaps a more random approach to Mudblood hunting would be beneficial," Crouch suggested.

"Random victims would be more sensible," Regulus agreed.

"We've got a Hogsmeade visit next weekend. I say we contact Malfoy, see if him or Mulciber, or anyone else is free for a meeting. They might have some suggestions for you," Avery said.

"That works for me," Crouch agreed, seemingly pleased at the prospect of being introduced to other Death Eaters.

"Very well," Regulus agreed. "You will make the arrangements?" he asked Avery, who nodded eagerly in answer. "One of us will let you know the time and place, then," Regulus said to the fair haired Ravenclaw. Crouch gave a mock bow before quickly retreating, leaving Regulus alone with Avery.

"See, a new friend. And there'll be plenty more who are sick of Dumbledore and his shit." Avery told him.

"In all honesty, I think he's only doing it to piss off his old man," Regulus pointed out.

"Yeah, but he's still on our side though, isn't he?"

"He seems to be," Regulus agreed. "So, Saturday then?"

"Saturday. I'll sort it," Avery agreed. "He could be good for the cause, you know."

"I'm sure he could."

"You've only got one more year left," Avery said, stating the obvious. "He'd be a good one to take charge of things here once you've left."

"That's true - if he proves himself, obviously," Regulus added with a frown. He truly hoped the war wouldn't continue that long, it was hard not to lash out at the stupid gits as it was, he didn't want to even think about the state of his mental health if he had to keep up his charade for years.

"I think summer is going to prove _very_ interesting," Avery smirked.

"Well, Snape will be away from Hogwarts," Regulus mused.

"I'm sure it won't take long for the Dark Lord to find him, there's only so many places he can hide. And then..."

"Then the war gets ended," Regulus finished.

"Hopefully we'll be rid of Dumbledore too."

"We can but hope," _hope not_ , his mind added.

"At the very least Snape'll be dealt with, anything else is a bonus really. Should be good though. Entertaining," he grinned maliciously. Regulus snorted at the stupidity. Avery obviously thought the snort was his own amusement at what was to come, and clapped him approvingly on the shoulder. "Anyway, I'll talk to you later, I've got people to see."

"Exams to prepare for?" Regulus queried. Avery snorted, shaking his head as he walked away, leaving Regulus alone with his thoughts.

He definitely needed to tell Dumbledore about all of this, he'd put it off long enough. It all boiled down to whether or not he could trust the Headmaster. The answer was obvious. He could. Dumbledore had been there for Snape, had done what he could to help him distance himself from the Death Eater Slytherins. Regulus had no doubt the same protections would have extended to him if he'd realised his errors earlier. But he hadn't. Though the upside to that was his position as a marked man, held in high regard by the Dark Lord and some of his more fervent supporters, meant that he was now ideally placed to help the Light.

Yes, Dumbledore would hear him out, and hopefully vouch for his role when the time came. If Dumbledore verified he was acting as a spy for the Light, that would keep him out of Azkaban when the dust settled. If the Light won. They had to win, the prospect of a society, the Ministry, _Hogwarts,_ being run by Death Eaters was just too disturbing. Who would want that kind of future? Only the most insane, obviously.

At least today he had more information to offer, not that he would hold it to ransom, he would tell the Headmaster all he knew because that was the right thing to do. He could only hope that offering his knowledge freely would bring him Dumbledore's help in return. Opening himself up would not be easy, they were beyond the point of taking the easy option now, too many people taking the easy way out over the years had helped create the mess that the world was now in. Now it needed fixing, and it would be hard. But it would be right.

Regulus would talk to Severus too, try and maintain the trust within that tentative friendship, but running to him to let him know what Crouch junior did to his fiancée might not be the most sensible decision. No, this time it had to be Dumbledore. He would tell him all he'd discovered so far, he would tell him all about the animosity Bartemius Crouch junior held for his father, that he attacked Lily Evans, that he would be meeting with Death Eaters in Hogsmeade. He had the feeling Crouch could be dangerous already, especially if he planned on hurting more students, but if he was trained by Death Eaters he could fast become a nightmare.

It was strange how both he and Crouch were both attempting to free themselves of their parents' teachings - in opposite directions, but still. Two boys who seemed so very similar and so very different at exactly the same time.


	85. Chapter 85

Chapter 85

It was the last Hogsmeade visit of the year, everyone was more than excited to spend the beautiful day exploring the village and ambling from shop to shop in search of items to spend their money on. The fifth and seventh years in particular were especially keen for the distraction in the weekend between exams. But as usual, Lily and Severus remained behind, kept safe behind the gates of the school grounds, not taking any risks of being spotted by their enemies.

The two of them had remained hidden in Severus' room until they were sure the majority of the students had left, now only the first and second years remained and the halls mostly deserted when they left to make their way to the willow tree.

Once they were safely concealed behind the curtain of leaves, Lily settled on the soft grass, leaning back against the sturdy trunk, removing an assortment of books from her bag and selecting a Charms text to continue her exam revision. Severus sat beside her, sighing as he rested his head back against the rough bark, eyes closed in thought.

"Are you ok, Sev?" she asked, carefully watching his face for any sign of emotion.

"Mmm," he mumbled, eyes still closed as he nodded. Lily turned her attention to the book when the silence stretched on.

After several minutes of quiet, she heard Severus quietly muttering a _'Muffliato'._ Lily placed her book back on the grass beside her, shifting position again to watch his face.

"Regulus wants to act as a spy, for Dumbledore," he said, eventually opening his eyes to meet her gaze.

"Oh," she breathed quietly. "Dumbledore asked him?" she asked, somewhat surprised that he'd put a boy of barely seventeen in that position.

"No, Regulus went to him."

"I see. Well... I mean... that's going to be really dangerous."

"He knows that," he said quietly. "He is capable of Occlumency, but I don't know to what extent."

"If it's not enough..." she trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought.

"I know," Severus nodded. Of course he knew, he'd received memories from a version of himself that had fulfilled that very role. He knew what a precarious position it was to be in. One slip would mean discovery. Discovery would mean death. "He's already at risk because of his actions, he told us about the cave, the Locket, he took the Cup from his cousins house."

"But they don't suspect him, do they?"

"Of course not, not at the moment. Who knows if that will change when he's face to face again with his mad family, or Voldemort."

"Mmm, he's going to have to face him isn't he?"

"He's marked, he'll be summoned. As soon as everyone is away from Hogwarts, Voldemort will have all the Death Eaters looking for us. For me," he stated calmly. Lily nodded, drawing in a deep breath.

"So what will Regulus be doing then?" she asked.

"He'll have to act his part when he's summoned."

"So, following orders - torturing, killing..."

"Hopefully he'll be able to avoid killing anyone, he doesn't want to do that. But if he disobeys Voldemort's orders, he'll be killed himself."

"Kill or be killed," she said sadly.

"It could come down to that. Let's hope for Regulus' sake it doesn't," he said. Lily nodded as he continued, "He wants to be able to pass along what information he can and obviously, he won't be able to come to me like he has at school."

"Right."

"He wants Dumbledore to be aware of planned attacks, if he can, so we have at least a little preparation time."

"But won't Voldemort know there's a spy in his ranks if the Order's ready and waiting?" she asked, that would be a bit of a giveaway if they never took somewhere by surprise. "Won't he question his men more closely if he suspects something?"

"No doubt about that," he agreed. "I guess Dumbledore will have a lot of hard decisions to make. He can't prevent _every_ attack without it being suspicious."

"Sacrificing a few to save many," she whispered.

"It's war. It's messy, and there are always sacrifices," he said just as softly, his face solemn.

"It's a terrifying thought."

"It is. That's why we need to end this, the sooner the better," he said. Lily nodded, she didn't want to think about facing the snake, or Voldemort, but they really had to.

"And Dumbledore will try and protect him?"

"He'll protect as many as he can. But yes, he will act to keep Regulus safe, and to keep him out of Azkaban afterwards," he told her. Lily nodded again. "He did have information for Dumbledore already."

"Oh?"

"Mmm. Avery was planning on contacting Malfoy to arrange meeting up in Hogsmeade."

"Definitely good that we're not going then," she snorted.

"He wants to introduce someone who wishes to join the Death Eaters."

"Joy, another homicidal maniac," she muttered sarcastically. Severus raised an eyebrow at her. "Who?"

"Barty Crouch junior," he stated. Lily frowned.

"He's sure?" that didn't make sense.

"He claims to be the one that attacked you," he said quietly.

"Oh, you're taking that very calmly."

"Believe me, I ranted in Dumbledore's office this morning when he told me."

"Well," she sighed, "Ranting isn't going to help, is it," she added quietly.

"And Dumbledore doesn't want us to let on that we know. Only Avery and Regulus know about Crouch."

"And obviously Avery isn't going to turn him in. Well, I'm fine anyway, it was more of an annoyance than anything and I'm going to have to face a lot worse, right?" she shrugged.

"You know I'd go after him if I could."

"I know, love. But, bigger picture, I get it," she said, giving him a small smile as she rested her hand on his arm. Somehow it was easier _not_ knowing who had done it, but at least it now gave Dumbledore someone else to watch. Eventually, Severus nodded when he was sure she was ok, sure that she wasn't disappointed in him.

"So, what would Daddy say if he knew what dear little Barty junior had been up to?" she mused.

"He'd either be in complete denial, or ship him off to Azkaban with the rest of the Death Eaters as an example."

"He's not marked though surely?"

"No, but he wants to be. It seems he's trying to lash out at his dad, and being purebloods, he thinks they'll be able to work with Voldemort quite well."

"Do you think he'll fight?"

"I honestly have no idea. If he arranges to stay with any of the Death Eaters over the summer I'm sure he'll get dragged along to participate, start building a reputation for himself," Severus said with a frown.

"What is it?" she asked as his frown became deeper.

"I can't help but wonder if that's what happened before, to the _other Severus,_ I mean," he whispered.

"How so?"

"Well, you and I didn't talk after that _incident,_ by this point you were with Potter. I can't imagine I'd have wanted to go back to live with my mother if she was still the way she was when my father died. It's not difficult to imagine that I might have gone to stay with one Death Eater or another, to escape," he said sadly. Lily slid her hand down to grasp his, squeezing his fingers.

"But that's not you, Sev. That's not us, that reality doesn't exist," she said gently.

"I know, but... it _could_ have."

"You can't keep thinking that way, I know it's hard, but you need to focus on _this_ life, _this_ reality."

"I know," he sighed again. "So, did all your friends head off to Hogsmeade?" he asked, clearly wanting to change the subject.

"Apart from you," she answered. "I'm worried about Mary, though."

"Oh?"

"She's been a lot quieter lately. I think she's feeling a bit left out, especially since Alice started joining our sessions."

"She doesn't know about them?"

"No, but she knows _something_ is going on, she's not stupid. Nobody noticed anything different when it was just us going to the sessions, but since Alice and the boys joined it's harder to hide. Alice and Mary have always been close friends."

"It is more suspicious, so many Gryffindor's being missing."

"Mmm, well, they've gone to have a girly day shopping today though."

"I'm sorry you have to miss out on that," he said quietly.

"It can't be helped," she answered with a shrug. She wasn't that concerned about shopping, she'd never been particularly interested in that past time. She'd rather be with Severus, though it would be nice to have the choice. "There'll be plenty of time in the future," she added. She hoped.

"True," he whispered, the corner of his mouth twitching towards a smile, no doubt he was hoping the same as he squeezed her fingers.

"It'll be ok, Sev. You'll see," she told him confidently. Severus didn't answer, only nodded his head in response before resting back against the tree, eyes closing again as they settled into a comfortable silence.

"We're moving the training up to the room tomorrow," Severus said quietly.

"Oh?"

"Mmm, I think we need to practice working with fire, the Defence classroom isn't the most suitable for that. We can customise the room to our requirements," he said.

"And we need to work with fire?" she asked him.

"There have been more reports of Inferi being sighted, another family has been killed," he said. "It's likely he'll be using Inferi in any upcoming battles."

"An _Incendio_ isn't exactly going to cut it though, is it?"

"No, but there are other spells, to create fireballs, or ropes of fire. We need to practice them."

"That could work on the snake too, right?" she asked, she still wasn't entirely sure how she would tackle that.

"It would," he agreed.

"All right. Fireballs it is, then," she said decisively. "Tomorrow," she added.

"Tomorrow," he agreed, leaning close to her to place a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Today, however, we need to revise," she told him. Severus sighed, rolling his eyes. "We have a Charms exam first thing Monday morning, and we still have a future to prepare for," she told him firmly.

"That we do," he said, his lips twitching in amusement. Lily nodded happily at his agreement, releasing her hold on his hand in order to scoop up her text book once more. Severus followed her lead, perusing the assorted books, selecting one to read alongside her.

"To the future," Severus said, lifting his open book as if proposing a toast.

"To the future," she agreed, touching her book to his as if clinking glasses. Lily beamed broadly as she buried her nose in her book, relaxed and at peace as she listened to the sound of Severus' soft chuckles.

...

The Great Hall was set up for their final exam, the long house tables gone in favour of the individual desks. Severus stared at his finished work, his writing small and cramped, the parchment filled with his lengthy answers to the discussion topics. The students were all seated alphabetically this time, none had been able to choose their own seat, though this gave Severus the opportunity to glance quite easily at the majority of his follow students as he was nearer the back of the Hall. Severus could see Lily near to the front of the Hall, wishing she was closer to him. Her head was still bent low over her parchment, quill still in hand though it was no longer moving.

Professor Ainscott had spent the entire exam time walking up and down the rows, his hands clasped behind his back as he carefully watched each student as he passed them by. A man from the Ministry stood on the raised area at the front, his gaze shifting from student to student.

Severus sighed as he returned his attention to his completed exam, wondering how the Hall could feel so loud when it was supposed to be silent. The more he tried to concentrate, the louder everything began to feel. He could hear Professor Ainscott's footsteps as his shoes clacked against the flagstone floor, the frustrated sighs from the other students, the scratch of their quills on their own parchments. Severus took a deep breath, trying to push it all away, lose himself in his own bubble. _Tick... tick... tick..._ the time piece at the front of the Hall seemed to be getting louder with each minute that passed. _Tick... tick... tick..._ the seconds kept ticking on and on and on. All he could hear was the ticking clock, drowning out everything else. Was it the clock? Or was it the sound of his heart thudding, echoing inside his own ears? _Thud... thud... thud..._ definitely the blood rushing in his ears. Why couldn't he have silence for once?

"Time's up everyone, quills down, please," Professor Ainscott called out. A ripple of groans and sighs spread throughout the Hall, some annoyed, some relaxed. " _Accio,"_ Ainscott said, summoning the completed exams. "Excellent, I'm sure you'll all be thrilled to know you are free to leave," he informed the Hall. Excited muttering broke out, along with the scraping of chairs on the floor as everyone attempted to leave at what appeared to be exactly the same time. Severus remained seated as bodies pushed against each other, all eager to get out of the Hall. It didn't take long for Lily to reach his desk, a beaming smile on her face as she reached for his hand, pulling him out of his seat to exit the Hall with her.

Upon reaching the door leading them outside, Severus could see students scattering, already spreading out across the grounds. There was no reason to remain cooped up, no reason to hole themselves up in the library, exams and classes were over – not just for the year, but completely. The weather was cooperating with the students' desires for freedom, and although there was a breeze blowing in from the lake, the sky was mostly blue, just a few fluffy white clouds drifting aimlessly, high above them.

"Come on, Sev," Lily said, smiling up at him before releasing his hand, breaking into a run in the direction of the lake.

Severus shook his head, amused by her antics, before quickly following suit and running after her in an attempt to catch up. Lily kept peeking back over her shoulder, casting mischievous grins as she attempted to keep ahead of him. It didn't take long for him to catch her, his longer legs giving him a definite advantage.

Lily let out a squeal as he caught her, looping his arms around her waist, pulling her close as they tumbled onto the soft grass. Severus landed on his back with a 'thud', with Lily laughing as she landed draped across him, his hands still holding her against him.

"You're not supposed to just _fall over,_ " she giggled, shifting herself into a more comfortable position, settling her chin atop her hands on his chest, not hiding her amusement in the slightest.

"Maybe I just like lying with you in my arms," he answered casually, shrugging a shoulder as best he could.

"Naturally," she grinned, rolling her eyes playfully. Severus tugged her forwards until her lips met his, her hands moving to his shoulders to steady herself.

"Though I can't deny I rather like being here," she grinned as she broke the kiss.

"Well, I suppose that is fortunate," he smirked, "considering the ring on your finger."

"Very fortunate," she agreed, pressing her lips back to his again. The sound of people approaching broke them apart again, Lily lifted her head to peer through the longer grass.

"Who is it?" he asked in a hushed whisper.

"Who do you think?" she asked in return.

"Would it happen to be a certain group of Gryffindor boys?" he asked. Lily nodded. Of course it was them, they always seemed to be around the next corner or catching up to them.

"And their girlfriends," she added. The two of them sat up fully then, glancing towards the approaching group.

"Oh, _there_ you are," Sirius Black's teasing voice called out to them, smug grin plastered on his face.

"Here we are," Lily agreed, quickly getting to her feet.

"Come on, you two, we're going to the lake," Potter said.

"What a coincidence," Severus snorted softly.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, that's where we're heading," Lily told them.

"Didn't look like that to us," Black teased, waggling his eyebrows. Severus rolled his eyes before getting to his feet, taking Lily's hand in his own, following the group as they continued their trek down to the lake, to join Alice Prewett and Mary MacDonald who were already seated on one of the large boulders by the shore.

Severus hung back as Lily released his hand, walking ahead to greet her friends, the girls all exchanging greetings and hugs as was so often the case. He was thankful they had yet to greet him in that manner, he was usually met with a polite nod and small smile, and he had no desire for that to ever change.

"Thank Merlin that's over," Black stated as he dropped down on the ground, letting out a sigh as he stretched out on the grass.

"No more exams," Potter stated, sitting by his friend as their girlfriends continued on to the waters edge. Severus decided to hang back for once, sitting on the grassy bank, staring out across the lake, his arms resting on bent knees.

"How do you think you did?" Lupin asked as he settled beside him.

"Fine, I guess," Severus shrugged. "You?"

"Fine, I guess," Lupin responded. Severus nodded. "It's hard to believe that's the last of the exams," Lupin added.

"It is," he agreed. "Seven years... done," he sighed. It almost seemed impossible, it had passed in what seemed like the blink of an eye, now they were looking back. At eleven years old, their time at Hogwarts seemed as though it would last forever, at sixteen when the memories started he was torn between wishing the remaining time away and never wanting it to end. Now, at eighteen, exams were done and he would be away from Hogwarts in mere days. No other choices could be made, they would leave and hide and wait for Voldemort to make his next move, to wait for him to declare his intentions.

"And what next?" Lupin asked.

"We go home, and we wait," Severus answered, his eyes shifting to Lily as she began skipping stones with the girls, her red hair shining like fire in the summer sunshine, setting her apart from the others.

"Home?" Lupin asked, a touch of confusion creeping into his voice.

"Well... you know," Severus shrugged.

"You have somewhere to go?"

"Mmm, Dumbledore has arranged somewhere, Lily's parents are already there, my mother will be joining us," he explained quietly.

"That's good then," Lupin said softly.

"What about you?" Severus asked, attempting to make small talk.

"What about me?"

"Are you going home?" Severus asked, glancing at the boy beside him. Lupin ran a hand nervously through his hair.

"I honestly have no idea," he answered with a sigh.

"Oh?" Severus asked, the curiosity getting the better of him, he'd wondered on more than one occasion how his condition would be managed once he was away from Hogwarts and the protection of Dumbledore.

"I'm not sure my parents have anywhere safe for me," he whispered.

"What usually happens? In the summer?"

"I go home, but my Dad brings me back to Hogsmeade, to spend _that time_ in the shack," he said quietly. Severus nodded slowly, keeping his expression blank. "I just think it's going to get harder as time goes on."

"What's going to get harder?" Black asked, sitting himself up and shuffling closer.

"You know what," Lupin pointed out.

"We already told you, you're coming with us," Black pointed out. Lupin sighed, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground, this was clearly an ongoing conversation.

"I know but –"

"But nothing, Moony," Potter interrupted. "We're in this together."

"Yeah," Black agreed.

"I can't impose on your parents that way, James," Lupin protested.

"It's not like that and you know it. We're going to get our own place anyway," Potter continued.

"Yeah, I've got my own money, Prongs has his, we'll find somewhere for all of us," Black informed him firmly.

"I'd at least need to go home for a little while," Lupin finally whispered.

"That's fine, we're going back to my parents for a couple of weeks while we get everything sorted for us."

"You can't get rid of us that easy, Moony," Black added.

"Hmm, like an itch you can't scratch," Severus pointed out with a smirk. "Or perhaps _Padfoot_ comes with fleas," he teased.

"Hey!" Black protested with a mild glare. Potter and Lupin exchanged grins. Black's glare crumbled when faced with his grinning friends, the three boys laughed leaving Severus shaking his head. _Idiots._ Though, that thought was missing the venom it came with in previous years.

"In any case, it seems you have a plan," Severus said.

"So it seems," Lupin agreed with a nod, seeming more relaxed now that was decided.

"All these plans, all these decisions, we're getting so... _mature,"_ Black concluded.

"Right. Mature," Severus frowned.

"What? We are," Black insisted.

"Well, some of us are," Potter laughed.

"Whatever," Black muttered, shoving Potter who merely rolled away in the grass. You'd never had known they were eighteen considering their antics. _Such children._ He supposed it was for the best they got it out of their systems now, first hand experience of war would certainly impact on their carefree demeanours before long.

"So, have you two set a date yet?" Potter asked him.

"What?" Severus asked with a frown.

"You know, a date, wedding. I assumed with the fancy ring on her finger there'd be a wedding coming up," Potter explained. Severus sighed.

"No, I understand the concept, I just didn't understand why you'd be interested," Severus shrugged.

"So have you?" Black asked.

"No," he sighed.

"Second thoughts?" Black asked with an air of fake sympathy.

"Never," Severus answered quietly.

"So why haven't you set a date yet?" Lupin asked.

"There are spies in the Ministry and we have no desire for uninvited guests," Severus explained. He hated that, hated that they had to wait.

"Well, that's rubbish then," Black concluded.

"It is. It will have to wait until the war is over."

"But we'll get invites though, yeah?" Potter asked. Severus looked at the other boy curiously, trying to figure out why James Potter would possibly want an invitation to his wedding. "Well, Evans is a friend and you know, you're well, sort of becoming a friend, and a lot's going to happen once we're out of here..." Potter rambled quickly.

"Ah yes," Severus interrupted. "We have a busy summer ahead of us."

"So are you going to invite us or not?" Black asked.

"Fine," Severus sighed. "If we all survive, Lily and I will invite you to our wedding. Happy?" he asked, still somewhat bemused by their desire to attend. A small voice in the back of his mind tried to remind him to be careful around his former tormentors, but he shut it down before it could grow any louder and convince him that extending invitations to the Marauders was a bad idea.

"Ecstatic," Black grinned before rolling away in the grass. _Silly mutt._

"So what's going to happen? With the Order meetings?" Potter asked.

"I assume Dumbledore will let us know when there is a meeting that requires our attendance."

"Will you be going?"

"I assume so. It's going to get frustrating fast if we can't go anywhere at all," Severus admitted.

"And we come up with a plan?" Black asked.

"That's not our job," Severus pointed out. "Dumbledore will come up with the plans, we'll do as we're told."

"But the Prophecy said it was you," Lupin argued.

"That doesn't mean I'm making the plans."

"How are you going to do it?" Black asked.

"No idea," Severus admitted.

"Oh good, we're in safe hands then," Potter muttered. Severus snorted.

"Don't blame me, it wasn't my idea to name me the _chosen one,"_ Severus said with some amusement.

"Of course it wasn't," Black laughed.

"And I'm sure one day you'll tell us the whole story," Potter added.

"Don't count on it," Severus smirked. He had no intentions of ever telling anyone that tale, providing he lived long enough to have the option of telling it.

"Just three more days," Lupin said with a sigh.

"Three more days," Severus agreed. Three more days and he would go into hiding with Lily and their parents. The only plus point was they would finally be a step closer to ending the war.

"And we'll be fighting," Potter said quietly.

"That's a good thing, right?" Black asked. "I mean, the Prophet have reported more disappearances, Muggles vanishing in mysterious circumstances. Voldemort and his Death Eaters need getting rid of, we can help with that before more people die."

"If only it were that simple," Lupin whispered.

"You know what I mean."

"We know," Severus said. "We've not been in a position to be directly involved, when we're fighting it will feel like we're doing something productive to try and end this."

"Yeah," Black nodded.

"And that will take more than the _chosen one,_ it's going to take everyone to end this," Severus pointed out, accepting that although his role was set, it wasn't his fight alone.

"Yeah, everyone," Potter agreed. "We can do this."

"Mister Potter, I do believe you are right," Severus agreed. At that moment, Lily turned to face him, giving him a brilliant smile from her position at the waters edge, her socks and shoes removed as she dipped her toes in the cool water. As their eyes met, he knew his thoughts were correct – they could do this. For better or worse the unlikely bunch would fight together until the end.

Severus felt at peace, truly calm despite their swiftly approaching departure from the school. Or at least, all was peaceful until James Potter decided that his very best friend needed a quick dunk in the lake to celebrate the end of exams. Unsurprisingly, that plan ended with both Potter and Black under the water, both laughing and splashing each other and attempting to splash anyone else who may be in splashing distance.

He wasn't used to an afternoon like this, so relaxed, carefree. Just being teenagers at school, an afternoon in the warm sun. Although he wished all his summer could have been this way, he wouldn't have traded his summer days with Lily beside him for anything at all. He would however, enjoy this day for exactly what it was – living in the moment, building bridges with his new allies, laughing side by side before they had to fight side by side to remove a madman.

This was truly a day of calm before the storm came, and they had no idea just how close the storm actually was.

 _Tick... tick... tick..._

...

He didn't understand. Everything should have been perfect, the ritual had worked every time before. He'd made six Horcruxes in the last thirty five years. Six. Why couldn't he make a seventh? He'd uncovered nothing in his research that suggested there was a maximum number that could be created from a single soul, but then again, none of the research had uncovered any evidence that a wizard had created more than one. It was all theoretical. But his theories were perfect, as was his magic. So what was going wrong?

Voldemort knew he had to protect his existence to the best of his abilities. And he would do it all himself this time. He'd foolishly allowed his Horcruxes to be used as a test of his followers loyalties, a test they had failed. He should have killed Lucius and Bella, they deserved that for their incompetence. Unfortunately, he needed them. They were still more useful to him alive, he could use their money to keep funding his campaign, and to blackmail certain Ministry members. And he needed their wands in the coming fight.

He wasn't certain who had uncovered his secret, he suspected it was Severus Snape, the Prophecy certainly indicated that was the case. _He can uncover the secrets of the soul._ It had to be him, though he had no idea how he'd discovered his truth, or how he'd located and removed the Horcruxes. How long had Severus been aware? Six months? A year? Two years? When he turned his back on his fellow Slytherins? Perhaps. Severus Snape was in possession of dangerous information, he knew far more than a boy had any right to. Just another reason to kill him. That was not negotiable, the boy had to be disposed of as soon as possible.

His only consolation was that Severus would be leaving Hogwarts in a matter of days, into a hiding place of Dumbledore's choosing, no doubt. His Death Eaters had already destroyed his home, though no searches had yet uncovered the boys mother. He was certain that Eileen Prince was being hidden by Dumbledore's Order already, and there was no trace of any other family members. The Prince's seemed to be extinct, almost like they had never existed.

A number of his men gave him reports on places that could potentially be used to hide the boy, locations tied to the Order in some way. The most obvious choice would be either Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, as major areas for magical population, but Voldemort suspected they would not be used – after all, Dumbledore would not want to bring more lives into the fight than necessary, a confrontation in Hogsmeade would bring too many _innocents_ into the cross fire. Dumbledore wouldn't want that on his conscience. No, he'd hide his chosen one more carefully, in a more secluded location to minimise casualties. That still left many mixed areas to choose from, he needed his Death Eaters to narrow it down. Perhaps he would place the boy with an Auror, he would need his Ministry spies to start digging up addresses.

They needed to work quickly now, he would have to _motivate_ his men to do better. Voldemort could take no chances, he had to tread carefully with only one definite Horcrux. He had no idea if the others had been destroyed or were simply missing. Severus may have discovered and retrieved them, but that didn't mean he'd _destroyed_ them, they could all be sat in a neat little box in Dumbledore's office for all he knew. He hoped he would feel it, would _know_ it, if they'd been destroyed but again, it was an area of magic no wizard had ever researched before. He just couldn't answer that question. Even sending Peter Pettigrew to retrieve the Diadem had ended in failure, the stupid boy had been caught again, his return to the cells of Azkaban had been reported. Voldemort was missing a soldier – admittedly a weak one with almost no use – and he was missing information. He didn't know if the Diadem was still in the Room of Hidden Things.

His only choice was to make more Horcruxes _now,_ he couldn't afford to wait for more information, he had to act. And he'd been trying to do exactly that. His creation of a sixth horcrux – Nagini – had been perfect, he'd performed all the necessary rituals and encased a piece of his soul in the enormous snake. The process couldn't have gone any smoother. So why couldn't he replicate that? He'd tried with a Malfoy family heirloom – a ceremonial dagger. And he'd tried with a Black family heirloom – a diamond encrusted brooch he'd taken from Bellatrix. He'd prepared them correctly. He'd found fresh victims to fuel the magic. But something was stopping the final part of the ritual, he couldn't bind his soul to the objects.

All he'd succeeded in was subjecting himself to the pain of trying to remove a piece of his soul, and further pain as it fought to stay in his body, it almost felt as though he were on the verge of being torn apart. He'd been left with random tingling in his limbs, sporadic jolts of burning fire in his fingertips. He couldn't let his enemies, or even his followers become aware of that fact. But he still didn't know _why._ He needed more protection, but until he could identify the exact problem, he didn't want to try it again. It was too great a risk, especially when he was on the cusp of removing Dumbledore and his puppets once and for all.

He could revisit this later, perhaps the murder of Severus Snape would make a better focal point, a happier rending of his soul. Or perhaps Dumbledore himself, his murder would be nothing short of a miracle; that would certainly increase his power, the energy would be spectacular. His soul would have to cooperate then. Until that time, Nagini would be kept close, he wouldn't risk her removal. As soon as Severus' location was discovered, Dumbledore's reign would be over, the magical world would belong to Voldemort.


	86. Chapter 86

Chapter 86

It was strange how suddenly the Castle had fallen silent. Breakfast had been a far noisier affair than was usual – it was the last breakfast of the school year after all – almost every single student was excited and eager to return home to their families. Lily shared in that sentiment entirely, it had been far too long since she'd seen her parents, she was grateful that Dumbledore had arranged for her to visit them at all, but her time with them had ended all too quickly.

Yes, she was glad she would be sharing a home them again, and sharing a room with Severus. But leaving the school meant the war was that much closer to them, the Castle walls would no longer keep them apart from the world, away from reality. Now the war was real.

Lily had barely eaten, the excitement and fear a terrible combination for actually stomaching anything. She brushed her friends' concerns aside, assuring them she was merely looking forward to seeing her parents and enjoying a break in studies – just for a few weeks. Everyone around her discussed their own plans, things they would do with their families, places they would visit, holiday destinations. She tried to push aside that little feeling in the back of her mind, the tiny part of her that envied their freedom, was jealous of the fact that they could decide their own fates. They didn't have to hide.

Nobody talked about the war, though they all knew it was coming closer, looming over the horizon like a dark and terrible storm. The Marauders didn't talk about the coming fight, though she knew they would be joining it. Jess and Harriet didn't mention it either, nor Alice. She knew she would seem them at Order meetings in a matter of days. Dumbledore had assured her and Severus that they would be attending, they would be needed, but it seemed all too likely that that would be the only reason for leaving the cottage – until they were ready to lure Voldemort out of hiding, along with the snake she needed to remove.

The goodbyes had been sincere exchanges of warm hugs and expressions of hope that they would see each other soon, in a relaxed setting, catching up with butterbeers. Of course, Severus made his goodbyes at arms length, he would have no desire to get drawn into embraces with peers he had only recently learned to tolerate. Again, the war remained the proverbial hippogriff in the room, they couldn't bear to acknowledge that the next time they saw each other could be either planning a battle, or fighting alongside each other with wands drawn against a dangerous enemy. Better to pretend. If only for today.

The students left in a mad scramble, a cacophony of noise that echoed around the hall, reverberating off the walls – even Professor McGonagall's _sonorus'd_ plea for calm was largely ignored. The noise disappeared just as quickly as the students, leaving Lily and Severus sat at the Gryffindor table alone. The teachers had departed with the carriages, chaperoning them to Hogsmeade station in anticipation of Death Eaters potentially attacking – either in search of Severus, or just to bring death and destruction.

Severus squeezed her hand as she sighed, anxiously waiting for the Headmaster to take them to the cottage.

"It'll be ok, Lily," he said quietly. Lily glanced at him, attempting a smile as she nodded in agreement. Severus let go of her hand then, instead slipping his arm around her shoulder to pull her close, pressing a kiss against her temple as she allowed her head to fall against his shoulder. Some of the unease began to slip away as she let her eyes close for a moment and breathed in his familiar scent. She was home here, in his arms, as long as she had this place, she would be ok.

"My apologies, Severus, Lily," Dumbledore said as he entered the hall. Lily sat herself more upright, turning her attention to him. "It took me a little longer than I anticipated to see Mr Black safely home."

"Regulus?" Severus asked.

"Indeed, with all the attention the Hogwarts Express will draw, I thought it prudent to have Regulus floo home – he has told his friends it was demanded by his parents."

"Now that is entirely believable," Severus nodded.

"By both sides," Dumbledore agreed with a smile. The Black's had a reputation after all, neither Aurors nor Death Eaters would think that allowance for their favoured son unexpected at all, it wouldn't raise suspicions. "Now, you both have your belongings?" he enquired.

"Yes, Sir," Lily answered, patting the pocket of her robes where the shrunken trunk was. Severus only nodded, he'd done exactly the same to his own trunk.

"Excellent," Dumbledore beamed. "I believe the carriages have now all departed, we should make our way down to the gates," he told them, before he turned and headed for the open doors. Lily and Severus quickly stood, following hurriedly to catch up with the Headmaster.

Dumbledore waited for them on the steps outside the main doors, hands clasped behind his back, smiling as the two approached him hand in hand. The trio walked quickly down the winding path towards the gates – still open from the carriages leaving with the others. Lily squeezed Severus' fingers as she noticed him casting a final glance towards their willow tree by the lake, their favourite sanctuary during the last seven years. She had to keep telling herself that they would return here one day, if only for sentimental reasons.

All too soon, they were through the gates, on the other side and about to rejoin the world, though not completely just yet.

"You are both ready?" Dumbledore asked, extending a hand to each of them. They both nodded as they accepted the proffered hands, linking to form a circle as the Headmaster Apparated them away.

That familiar squeeze gripped her as they vanished, instantly reappearing in a secluded cluster of trees. Dumbledore withdrew his wand, waving it gently as he turned on the spot. Lily and Severus exchanged nervous glances as they waited.

"Excellent," Dumbledore stated, slipping his wand back into his robes, apparently satisfied with whatever his spell casting had revealed to him. "This make a rather convenient place to Apparate, though make sure you are alone before leaving," he told them. Ah, well that made sense. Dumbledore pushed aside a long branch to step out from behind the large tree, carefully picking his way through the next row of growth. The wooded area was fairly small, and pretty dense, making an excellent cover for their arrival.

It took a few minutes to pick their way through, not wanting to damage any of the trees or plants as they would their way to the lane. They stepped out of the shadowed area onto the path, the place looking more familiar now. The cottage was at one end of the lane, where the trees lining the street thinned out, the other way lead to the village itself. The cottages were further apart on this street than on the others, this end of the village seemed to be where the magical population were based.

Dumbledore strode quickly and confidently across the lane towards the cottage on the corner, leaving Severus and Lily almost running to catch up, they'd slowed down as they looked at the other nearby cottages. Moments later, they were stood on the pavement in front of the cottage, with Dumbledore leaning casually on the low gate. Severus stopped instantly as he glanced up at the cottage, his hand gripping hers much tighter.

"What is it?" she asked quietly, glancing up at his frowning face. "What's wrong?" she asked when he didn't answer, merely shook his head in reply.

"Is everything all right, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, concern creeping into his tone.

"Hmm?" Severus mumbled distractedly, his eyes still on the cottage.

"Are you all right, Sev?" she asked him, reaching to touch his cheek. He tore his gaze from the cottage then, meeting his concerned eyes.

"I'm not sure," he said quietly.

"You've been here before, Sev," she said gently.

"We used the back door last time," he pointed out.

"Oh? That makes a difference?" she asked.

"I think I might know," he whispered.

"Know what?" she asked just as quietly.

"Where I know the cottage from."

"Oh. Are you sure? Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'll be more sure once we're inside. And can we talk later?" he asked.

"Of course, whenever you're ready," she assured him, pulling her hand away from his cheek.

"Ready?" the Headmaster enquired.

"Yes, Sir," Lily answered, pulling Severus' hand to lead him towards the gate.

Dumbledore lifted the latch, pushing the metal gate open and making his way up the path, opening the front door to the cottage without knocking. Within seconds they were inside, closing the door behind them, all stood waiting the hallway.

"Lily? Severus? Is that you?" she heard her mother's voice calling out as footsteps approached from the back of the house. Dumbledore stepped aside, making room for Lily to pass him by.

"Mum!" she exclaimed, closing the distance between them, allowing her mother to hold her close.

"I'm so glad you're finally here!" her mother said, kissing her cheek before pulling herself away, holding her at arm's length to properly look her over.

"Me too," she assured her, blinking back tears.

"And you're both alright? Exams not too stressful?"

"We're fine, Mum. Exams were stressful enough," Lily laughed. Her mother nodded and smiled, stroking her cheek before bustling past to greet Severus, quickly pulling him in for a hug of his own.

"It's so good to see you both," she told him, patting his cheek affectionately.

"You too, Mrs Evans," he answered quietly.

"Are you sure you're alright, Severus? You seem... troubled."

"I'm fine," he answered, giving an unconvincing smile. "Just thinking."

"Something I believe Severus is prone to doing," Dumbledore said with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sure of that," her mother said.

"Did Apollo get here ok?" Severus asked.

"He did, he got here yesterday," she told him. Severus nodded, relaxing slightly at the confirmation his owl was fine.

"Now, we have much to do today, but I have one more person to fetch before we can cast the necessary spells," Dumbledore said.

"My mother?" Severus asked.

"Your mother," he confirmed. "If you'll excuse me, I shall return shortly," he added with a nod, exiting quickly.

"Where's Dad?" Lily asked.

"Oh, he's out in the garden," she answered. "Why don't I make some tea?" she suggested.

"Tea sounds lovely," Lily agreed. Her mother nodded happily, heading back to the kitchen. Lily and Severus followed, taking a seat at the table while her mother busied herself, filling the kettle and preparing the cups.

"Where are your things?" her mother suddenly asked, apparently their lack of trunks only just noticed. Lily smiled, removing the tiny trunk from the pocket of her robes and returning it to its proper size, laying her wand on the table in front of her.

"I see," her mother chuckled. "Well, this magic is certainly rather convenient."

"That it is," Lily replied. Magic was more than convenient to her, it was wonderful.

"I assume you've done the same, Severus?"

"Yes, Mrs Evan. I'll restore mine later," he told her. Her mother nodded as she returned her attention to the now boiling kettle and finishing the drinks. She gave them each a cup of tea before joining them at the table with her own.

"So, what's really going on out there?" her mother asked. "The war," she added as Lily frowned.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what we can tell you," Lily admitted with a sigh. She wasn't sure how much she wanted her parents to know, she didn't want to terrify them.

"How much have you been told?" Severus asked.

"Not much. We don't get the wizarding newspapers, the neighbours are lovely but don't comment too much. I get the feeling they'd rather not say which makes me think it's bad," she said. "Now, with the fact that Severus' house was attacked and we're in hiding, I believe the two of you are still targets," she added.

"I am currently more of a target than Lily," Severus said quietly.

"This _Voldemort_ still wants to recruit you?" her mother asked.

"No," Severus shook his head. "He wants to kill me," he added. Her mothers eyes widened in shock.

" _Why?"_ she asked, more than a little bewildered.

"There was a prophecy, predicting there was someone who could vanquish him. He decided that applied to me."

"Because of your time working with the Headmaster?" she asked. Severus nodded. "And you didn't mention this Prophecy before because...?"

"It was too dangerous, Mum," Lily answered.

"And it's not dangerous to tell me now?"

"Of course it is, but now we're together, hiding," Lily said quietly. Her mother nodded slowly.

"So, now these _Death Eaters_ are looking for you?"

"Yes. Voldemort will be sending his spies out to find where I'm hiding, so they can summon him – the Death Eaters have been forbidden to attack, he wants to kill me himself," Severus said quietly.

"And what about Lily?" her mother asked.

"Well, I'm sure they'd want to use me to get to Severus if they could, which is why we're safer together. But I'd be a target regardless, I've already told you about their blood purity agenda," Lily explained.

"Why aren't the Ministry doing anything? These Death Eaters are trying to start a war!"

"The war has been building for years, Mrs Evans. There are spies at the Ministry, gathering information."

"He wants to take over the Ministry?"

"He wants power. He wants to make sure none can challenge that – that will include the Ministry."

"So Dumbledore is working separate from the Ministry then?"

"He is. He holds certain political positions, but outside of the Ministry. Voldemort is afraid of Dumbledore's power, he's the only one capable of gathering enough wizards to oppose him."

"Including the two of you?" her mother asked.

"Including us," Lily confirmed.

"How much longer is it going to go on for? How long will we be here?"

"I have no idea," Lily told her honestly.

"At the moment, we have to wait and see what Voldemort does now we're away from Hogwarts," Severus said. "I'm sure it won't be long before he makes a move."

"And then Dumbledore will make his?" she asked. Severus nodded. "And that will include you two?"

"Most likely. The only way Voldemort is coming out of hiding is to get to me."

"You make it sound like you're some kind of bait!" her mother exclaimed. That's precisely what he would be. Severus sighed. "You can't be serious! You're honestly saying that you'll face him?"

"We need to end this," he pointed out. "If I don't face him, the Death Eaters will keep attacking innocent people!"

"You're innocent too, Severus! Dumbledore doesn't expect to sacrifice you, does he?"

"He expects me to win," Severus said quietly.

"And you? What do you believe?" her mother asked.

"I believe I have to try," he whispered. Lily reached to squeeze his hand. Her mother took a deep breath as she let the information sink in. She wished they'd waited until later for this conversation, when her father and Severus' mother were here, she really didn't want to subject Severus to a repeat of this.

The sound of the door opening again interrupted any other discussions on the matter, a moment later, Dumbledore appeared in the kitchen with Eileen Snape.

"Hello, Severus," Mrs Snape greeted.

"Mother," he replied with a nod. "You're looking well," he said after glancing at her briefly.

"Quite well," she assured him with a raised eyebrow, slipping into one of the empty seats. Her mother returned to the kettle, refilling it to make tea for the new arrivals.

"Hello, Mrs Snape," Lily greeted politely.

"Hello, Lily," she nodded. "I trust my son is treating you properly?"

"Oh, er yes, of course. Severus has been wonderful," she told her with a bright smile. She could practically hear Severus attempting to suppress an eye roll.

"Excellent," his mother answered, shooting a smirk at her son, which Severus no doubt pretended to ignore.

"The spells will be done today?" her mother suddenly asked, turning to hand drinks to Mrs Snape and the Headmaster.

"Indeed they will," Dumbledore confirmed, accepting the tea with a grateful nod.

"And it will hide the cottage?" she asked.

"It will. No one will be able to find it unless they are told the address by the secret keeper, they will be the only one able to disclose the exact location," Dumbledore explained.

"And who will be this _secret keeper?"_ her mother asked.

"I should like to volunteer myself," the Headmaster stated. "Are there any objections?"

"No, Sir," Lily answered as everyone exchanged glances.

"Excellent," Dumbledore beamed. "Now, we should perform the necessary spells, Miss Evans would you care to do the honours?"

"Me?" she asked with a frown. "I thought you were going to cast the spells, Sir," she said.

"The spell is being bound to him, as secret keeper," Severus said. "He can't fulfil both roles."

"Indeed. You have a natural talent for charms, I believe you are the logical choice," Dumbledore said with a smile on his lips as he met her anxious eyes.

"But, it's really complex, if I get this wrong..." she said. The responsibility felt enormous, like the lives of her loved ones were in her hands.

"I have every faith in your abilities, Miss Evans," the Headmaster said.

"As do I," her mother agreed.

"And I," Mrs Snape said.

"You can do this, Lily," Severus said quietly, squeezing her fingers.

"Ok," she nodded, drawing in a deep breath, attempting to push aside the growing nerves. It had to go right, they had to be hidden, the alternative was just too terrifying.

"Wonderful," Dumbledore beamed happily. "Perhaps if you could fetch Mr Evans," he suggested, her mother nodded and headed for the garden. "I will talk you through this," he assured her. Lily nodded again, picking her wand up from the table.

"I'm ready," she said confidently. "Let's do this."

...

The Universe hated him. He was absolutely certain of that fact, there was no other explanation for it. He felt it as soon as he stood in front of the cottage, with Dumbledore leaning oh so casually on the gate. He knew why the cottage was so familiar, he'd seen it before. 2nd May 1976. The night the memories began. He'd stood there almost dumbstruck as he stared at the roof, a brief flash forcing its way to the front of his mind – that same roof with a gaping hole in the rafters, bitter wind whipping about him as the storm kept building, flashes of lightning illuminating the destruction.

Severus had barely heard Lily the first time she spoke, barely heard the Headmaster as he spoke as well, the two gazing at him with a mixture of concern and confusion on their faces. _'Are you alright, Sev?'_ she'd asked him again, and he'd wanted to tell her ' _no',_ he wasn't, he didn't know how he could be ok living under this roof. This place, knowing she'd lost her life here, knowing he'd been the first to find her body. He'd been so utterly destroyed by that event. He hadn't physically died, but his heart and soul had gone with her, his body would have followed if not for his promise to keep her son safe. Instead, he'd become an empty shell, living only to honour that promise, obeying two masters until the Light could finally win that war, doing what he could to help Lily's son destroy the monster. His promise shackling him to a pitiful existence, filled with self loathing and guilt over the role he had played.

He didn't want to go inside, but he didn't have a choice. Dumbledore had already hidden her parents here, it was too late to change the plans now. He had to go through with it. He had to stay. All he could do was let her know he'd figured out why he recognised the cottage and that they would talk later, once they were all safe and the spells were cast. Though of course, that meant sharing that memory tonight, he'd expected a few days to settle in first, but as he'd already established – the Universe hated him. Perhaps fate enjoyed shoving something at him every time he'd been lulled into that false sense of security. It was always the same, he should have known better.

Dumbledore excused himself shortly after retrieving his mother and guiding Lily through performing the Fidelius. Everything there had gone according to plan, though he didn't doubt Lily's spell casting abilities. She'd done as instructed and bound the secret to Dumbledore. Nobody knew their location now, even the neighbours that had already met Mr and Mrs Evans would have no idea of the house's existence, people could stand at the front gate and see absolutely nothing. The five of them were hidden.

The conversations that followed after the Headmaster's departure had been... uncomfortable. The three adults had wanted to know everything about the war, and they could only give them bits and pieces. They spoke about the reports in the Daily Prophet, the disappearances. They spoke about the Ministry, he'd even told them about the Prophecy. Not the whole thing, obviously, that would only lead to yet more questions he couldn't answer. No, he only told them a Prophecy had been made and Voldemort decided it applied to him. Severus was no longer seen as a potential recruit to their cause, now he was a threat that needed to be eliminated by Voldemort himself. They weren't happy. There was little he could elaborate on, and so many things that must be kept secret. So they had no idea of the full contents of the Prophecy, no idea about the _excursions_ he'd been on with Dumbledore to retrieve Horcruxes, or that Voldemort had even made Horcruxes in the first place. They didn't share the knowledge that in all likelihood Voldemort knew those Horcruxes had been destroyed and made at least one more – a snake that Lily was destined to destroy. If her parents knew that he was sure they'd want to keep him and Lily apart. And he certainly didn't tell them about the range of memories he'd received from someone, somewhere. That was hard to even believe, let alone explain.

The five of them had talked all afternoon, catching up on family events. Mrs Evans had spoken of Petunia and her awful husband, how they hoped to conceive a child in the next year or two. Severus already pitied the child. Neither he nor Lily said that though, or spoke of the hope that they would live long enough to have children themselves. Severus found himself drifting in and out of conversations, he wasn't a huge fan of small talk at the best of times, but in this place it was hard to focus. He was dreading making his way upstairs, yet simultaneously wanting to get it over with. It was impossible to miss the curious glances his mother cast at him, especially when he took slow, deep breaths to keep calm, pushing the memories back in their box. His mother was still an unknown quantity, she was nothing like the broken woman he'd been raised by, she was still quiet and reserved, but held herself with more confidence than he'd ever seen from her. He'd have to spend time with her at some point, just the two of them, so he could get to know this new version of his mother.

He'd barely said a word during dinner, as time ticked on, the anxiety grew more difficult to push aside. Even Lily sat beside him doing her best to reassure him, touching his knee under the table did little to help. As soon as he was able, he'd excused himself from the table, bolting for the stairs, though he'd rather flee the house entirely if he was honest. He blocked out the whispers of the family he left sat at the table, standing at the foot of the stairs he could only hear the pounding of his blood rushing in his ears, could feel his breaths becoming more shallow. He needed to do this.

With a forced deep breath, Severus placed his foot on the first step, and the next, casually running his fingers over the painted plaster of the walls, beneath unfamiliar pictures of scenery hung to break up the monotonous expanse. He closed his eyes as he reached the top, pausing, forcing away an image of James Potter's lifeless form, empty eyes staring at nothing from behind twisted glasses. He knew it wasn't real, kept telling himself that it wasn't. But the next step was so difficult.

Severus lifted his eyes to the closed door at the end of the hallway, of course this would be their room. Fate obviously knew and was fucking sadistic. He forced himself to keep walking, in this reality it was just an ordinary house, calm and bright on a summers day. There was no storm, no lightning, no destruction, no screaming Potter-boy, no Lily crumpled on the floor. Lily was downstairs with her family, she was fine. She was safe. Alive.

His hand was shaking as he reached for the doorknob, but he turned it anyway, he would open the door and prove what he knew was the truth this time. The door swung open, revealing another room decorated in soft creams and earth tones, a double bed was under the window on the far side, stepping into the room revealed a wardrobe and drawers ready for their belongings. Severus shut the door behind him and allowed himself to sink to the floor beside the fireplace. He wrapped his arms around his bent legs and closed his eyes, resting his forehead down onto his knees, almost curled into a ball.

Eventually he lifted his head and forced himself to look around and accept the differences. There was no crib, no rocking chair, no baby toys. But apart from the furniture, the room was identical. He stared at the spot on the floor where Lily had lay in the memories. This was going to be tough.

Severus didn't look up as the door opened and closed again with a soft 'click'. He knew exactly who was joining him. Lily knelt down in front of him, her hands resting on his knees as she looked at him, her features full of concern.

"What happened here?" she asked him quietly, lifting a hand to brush the hair away from his face. He didn't want to say it, saying it made it feel more real. "It was here, wasn't it?" something in her eyes told him she knew. He gave a slight nod.

"Dumbledore hid you, in that lifetime," he whispered. Lily slipped her wand from her pocket, casting a _Muffliato_ before he continued. "You were a target – your son was the target – I begged him to hide you, keep you safe."

"And he hid us here?"

"And he failed. You were betrayed, Lily."

"Not by Dumbledore," she said gently.

"No," he conceded. "It just feels like... I don't know," he shrugged, shaking his thoughts off.

"Like it could happen again?" she asked. "Voldemort could find me here this time too?"

"Something like that. It just made that reality feel more 'real.'"

"Will you show me? The memory?"

"You don't want to see that, Lily," he told her. He didn't want her to see herself that way, and he didn't want her to see him in that state.

"I think it will help, Sev."

"I haven't shared this memory with Dumbledore. It's... bad."

"I know. I still want you to show me," she said gently.

"I don't want it to change how you think of me."

"It won't. You have to trust me, Sev," she said. Severus sighed, he did trust her. He'd planned on talking about the memory, he hadn't considered _showing_ her.

"Ok," he finally said, giving her a nod. He caught the momentary flicker of surprise in her eyes, just for a second before she shifted position. Severus made space for her to sit between his legs. She lifted her wand, meeting his eyes.

"Ready?"

"Before you do that," he tugged her forwards, their lips meeting in a soft kiss as her free hand leaned on his chest to steady herself. "Just in case," he told her when they parted. She gave him a sad look as she touched his cheek, settling herself back again. He gave her a nod as she met his eyes again.

" _Legilimens,"_ she whispered. Severus felt that odd sensation of a presence in his mind, he'd spent so much time working on his Occlumency it seemed peculiar to willingly push a memory forward for her to view. Her touch on his thoughts was gentle, but he knew she was there. He focussed on the exact pieces he needed her to see: the damage to the roof, the long walk upstairs, past James Potter's body, towards the open doorway, the floor littered with debris from the roof being blown out, Lily sprawled across the nursery floor, Severus collapsing to his knees leaning against the wall in the same place they now sat, harsh sobs escaping his lips, his face twisting in agony as he crawled to Lily, ignoring the green eyed toddler who was crying for his Mum. Severus kept pushing the memory forward as the other Severus crawled across the floor, gently turning her over and being faced with eyes devoid of anything that made Lily ' _Lily'._ They watched as he closed her eyes and delicately touched her cold cheek with the tips of his fingers, before he truly broke, his sobs of denial becoming howls of torment as he scooped her into his arms, holding her as tightly as he dared, as if he could will his own life into her body and bring her back. Lily actually being dead was impossible. It couldn't happen. But it had and he couldn't bring her back. He wished he could lie down and die right beside her if it was impossible to trade places.

Lily pulled out of his mind, almost seeming to slump, sniffling and wiping at the tears in the corners of her eyes. Severus closed his eyes, bracing himself for her reaction. To his surprise, she crawled closer, pressing herself as close as she could, he could feel her breath against his neck. He wrapped his arms around her tightly as the tears slipped silently down his cheeks.

"I wish you'd told me sooner," she whispered. "But I can understand why you didn't want to talk about it." Severus nodded, letting the tears slide away into her hair.

"I didn't want you to see me like that," he admitted.

"Sev," she whispered, leaning in to press a kiss against his jaw. "It's not bad to feel things. It's not healthy to lock everything away."

"Perhaps not, but it's still hard. And I didn't want you to see the boy."

"The boy?" she asked, pulling away to look at his face. "Because he's a son shared by me and James Potter?"

"In part. I worried you would get attached, I still don't know exactly how this whole _memories thing_ really works. Dumbledore doesn't know how it works, his best guess is that the souls that should be here, will find a way to be here."

"You thought if I saw my son in those memories I'd want to keep him? Make sure he existed in this reality too?"

"I don't know," he admitted, shrugging slightly. It was something that crossed his mind, he couldn't deny it.

"You know that's not going to happen, Sev. I love you," she told him firmly.

"I know."

"If I have a son in this life, _you_ will be the father, you know that."

"I know," he said, for the first time today a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He did know that, that was part of the reason he could finally share with her. " _If_ you have a son?" he questioned.

"For some reason I imagine us having daughters," she told him, a fond smile gracing her features.

"Little girls with your beautiful face, I can live with that," he grinned, tilting her chin up to press his lips to hers again, slipping a hand into her hair as their lips moved. "I love you, Lily," he whispered as they broke the kiss.

"I love you too, Sev. I always will," she answered.

A sigh escaped him as she settled herself back against his chest, letting her warmth and love seep into him. Perhaps it was a cliché, but it certainly felt like 'a problem shared was a problem halved'. Every fibre of his being had told him not to share, to keep the pain private, but now he'd shown her his greatest nightmare he felt lighter. He had to accept that sharing could help. There were still other memories he'd yet to share with her – conversations with Dumbledore about the Prophecy which had concerned her son, facing Voldemort, facing his own death. But this one had been the most difficult. He was emotionally exhausted after that experience, the rest of the memories would have to wait for another day. Now, he needed sleep, and with Lily in his arms that sleep would hopefully be more restful now than it had been in months. He would need the rest for what lay ahead. They all would.


	87. Chapter 87

Chapter 87

The first three days in the cottage had passed quickly and quietly. Severus hadn't spoken of any other memories since that awful one he'd shown her on their first night, and as curious as she was to know more, as helpful as she thought sharing would be for him, she couldn't bring herself to ask him. She wouldn't pressure him just to appease her own curiosity.

Lily understood how hard it must have been for him to let her in, to share his pain and vulnerability, though since sharing, Severus had seemed more relaxed, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It was just more confirmation that there was nothing he could tell her, nothing he could show her that would make her abandon him for James Potter, the memories would not alter her journey in this life. As far as she was concerned, those memories belonged to a different Severus, who'd existed in an entirely different reality. _That_ Lily was not her. Each version had made different decisions, leading to different events happening – including different relationships with different children being born to them. That reality was not destined to repeat itself. That reality was one to be learned from, that was all.

Sunday had been a wonderfully calm and relaxing day, the five of them together, continuing where their 'catching up' had left off the previous day. Her parents had been more than pleased to be reunited with her and Severus, and wanted to know as much as they could about their school year, carefully avoiding talk of the war – they'd covered all they could the previous day. Even Mrs Snape had seemed interested in learning more about the two of them, asking questions about their time at Hogwarts, their teachers, their exams. She even went on to share stories of her own time there, her experiences with Slughorn and Slytherin, her time as captain of the Gobstones Club. They'd ventured into the back garden after dinner, enjoying cool drinks as they'd sat together on a wooden bench in the warm evening air, watching as the dragonflies and butterflies flitted from flower to flower before disappearing entirely for the night and the moths came out instead.

The first contact from the outside world came in the form of a house elf appearing in the cottage Monday morning. Both she and Severus had hoped to hear something from Dumbledore either about an Order meeting, or information about the activities of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Severus had asked if the elf could bring the latest newspapers, but he wouldn't. It seemed Dumbledore didn't want them to know just yet, he was concerned that if Severus knew, he would march out in search of Voldemort before their preparations were complete. The only information the elf did bring was a short note from the Headmaster, informing them that they'd find a fully stocked potions lab down in the basement, should they wish to continue brewing potions for the emergency field kits.

This was at least welcome, brewing gave them a purpose, something tangible they could focus on while they waited for more information. They spent Monday and Tuesday down in the basement doing exactly that, focussing their attention on what they would need during and after a battle – mainly brewing blood replenishers and pain relievers to start with. Her parents had seemed quite happy for her and Severus to spend their time down there and didn't intrude, they'd come down to look around and see what they were doing, but they had been baffled by the shelves full of strange looking ingredients, the scales and cauldrons. This was a very peculiar environment for a Muggle after all, and they were worried about touching something they shouldn't. They felt it best if they stayed out of that room.

Mrs Snape had felt far more comfortable popping down to visit them, she'd taken Potions at NEWT level, though she hadn't brewed since. She refused the offer to join them in the actual preparation and brewing stages, though she did help with bottling and labelling the finished potions, and helped with the cleaning up. And it had been nice, the silences had felt comfortable even with Mrs Snape there, which was obviously a good sign. Lily could only hope it continued and that his mother would feel more confident at helping with the other stages in the future.

On Wednesday morning, a message came that altered that atmosphere. Lily and Severus were sat at the kitchen table with Mrs Snape, her parents were outside in the garden already, when a shimmering silvery light appeared. The softly glowing ball grew brighter as it morphed into a Phoenix. Dumbledore's Patronus.

" _The Order of the Phoenix will meet at 8pm tonight, upstairs at the Hog's Head. Please take care when arriving, use the back door,"_ the Headmaster's voice spoke softly from the glowing light, before it faded, dissolving into mist and vanishing completely.

Lily took a deep breath, fiddling with her tea cup on its saucer as she waited.

"At least we're being kept in the loop," Lily finally said, breaking the silence.

"True," Severus sighed. "Part of me expected it to be longer before the first meeting," he admitted.

"It's a good thing though, right?" she asked him.

"It could be," he shrugged. "Or it could mean that Death Eaters are increasing their activities already and we need a plan quickly," he said. Which was true she supposed, until they got to the meeting they wouldn't know if the Death Eaters had become more ruthless in searching for Severus already, or if this meeting was merely being held sooner rather than later to get ahead of what Death Eaters might potentially do.

"Is it a good idea for the two of you to go tonight?" Mrs Snape asked, frowning as she glanced between the two of them. "Surely the Death Eaters will be watching Hogsmeade, and the Hog's Head isn't exactly a respectable establishment," she pointed out.

"If Dumbledore didn't think it safe, he wouldn't have asked us to attend," Severus counted.

"Well that's a good sign then," Lily said. "If it wasn't safe, if he suspected something would happen, he'd just visit us here, wouldn't he?" she reasoned. Of course he would, there's no way he'd risk something happening to Severus now, wouldn't willingly put him in harms way when he believed what the Prophecy stated.

"He would," Severus nodded. "We can always transfigure our features until we get there, we'll wear cloaks, use the back door. We can't hide here forever, we need to know what's going on," he said firmly. There was no way Severus was going to sit here hidden when he knew he could be at a meeting contributing.

"If you are certain," Mrs Snape said, her frown not altering, clearly not happy that they were planning to leave the cottage. Lily and Severus both nodded. "Very well," she finally conceded. "What do you plan to do with your day until the meeting?"

"Brewing again, mother," Severus answered.

"Again?"

"There aren't many Order members who can brew as competently as us," Severus stated.

"Or who have the time," Lily added.

"Mmm, most of the Order members also have full time jobs," Severus said. "At least brewing is something useful we can do to help," he finished. Lily nodded in agreement.

"Well, Dumbledore is lucky to have you both then," she told them both. "You'll forgive me if I don't join you today," she said.

"Of course," Severus answered quietly. Mrs Snape excused herself from the table leaving them alone, the only sound her footsteps as she retreated. Severus let out a heavy sigh as the silence settled around them once more.

"Shall we head down then?" Lily asked him. Severus answered with a nod as he pushed his chair away from the table, heading for the door at the top of the basement stairs.

Within minutes, they were tucked away in the basement lab, ingredients spread across the bench as Severus flicked to the relevant instructions for the wound cleaning potion. It was easy down here to ignore the outside world, easy to pretend nothing bad was happening at all, even though they knew otherwise. Tonight they might just get some of their questions answered – had the Death Eaters attacked anywhere? What was happening at the Ministry? Had anyone been killed? Had any Order members been lost? Did Voldemort know where they were? Was he coming for them? Were they ready to go after Voldemort and the snake?

So many questions. Would they be given any answers? Would they like the answers they were given? Time seemed to tick by slowly that day, the silences filled with an unease that hadn't been present previously, both of them were preoccupied running various possibilities and scenarios through their minds, each wondering what they would learn at their first Order meeting.

...

Remus leaned back in one of the comfortable recliners, eyes closed as he thought about what the day would bring. Tonight they would attend their first Order meeting, and he had no idea what would happen. Remus had arrived at the Potter's house early in the afternoon, with the full moon still two weeks away he'd been taking the opportunity to spend time with his parents. The meeting wasn't until 8pm, but he knew there was so much James and Sirius would want to talk about beforehand.

James and Sirius had both seemed excited, the thought of finally being able to battle against Death Eaters was extremely appealing. Remus couldn't say that he was excited, nervous yes, but not excited. He would fight because it was the right thing to do, not because it would make him a hero. Maybe because his role could become much more intense lessened the excitement factor. Dumbledore had spoken to him before they left school, put forward a suggestion for him to think about. _Getting closer to the werewolves._ That thought terrified him, and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. It didn't matter that he'd been transforming each month himself for thirteen years, he'd never embraced it like some of the others had. Not like Fenrir Greyback – the one who'd bitten him. Dumbledore was concerned that it was only a matter of time until an alliance was formed between Voldemort and Fenrir, who would quickly rally the other werewolves behind him in joining the campaign of evil. Voldemort would promise them victims, fresh blood. Dumbledore needed a way of getting information about Fenrir's movements, or a way of discouraging others from joining Voldemort, instead promising them they would be protected by Dumbledore. Remus doubted it would work, even without Voldemort's influence the Ministry's opinion of werewolves was shockingly bad. He didn't know if he could fulfil that role, he was certain it was above his level of skill. But he would think about it, if the war went downhill he might not have a choice, or he might be dead before he could make it. Both options were depressing.

James kept pacing about the room, pausing every now and then to ask the same questions – What would tonight be like? Would they be called to fight? Would Snape be there? Remus couldn't answer any of those questions with any certainty, he could only make assumptions. He had no idea if tonight was merely an introduction, or if training would be involved. Sirius was reclined on the sofa, looking completely at ease, apart from his foot tapping endlessly, hinting at an underlying nervousness or excitement, making the same speculations.

"They're going to call us to fight sooner or later though, aren't they?" James asked again, his arms gesturing emphatically.

"Of course they are, no point in us being Order members if they're not going to call us," Sirius stated.

"I mean, we've only been back four days and there's already been one attack and reported Death Eater sightings," James said. "We didn't get called for that, did we?"

"I'm sure Dumbledore wants to introduce us to the Order before we fight with them," Remus pointed out, turning to watch his still pacing friend.

"Yeah, I know. It just feels like we should be doing something," James argued.

"Yeah," Sirius agreed, nodding his head.

"Look, we have to wait for Dumbledore to tell us what we need to do, where to be. We need to know who the other Order members are," Remus said calmly.

"I know," James said, collapsing onto another of the chairs with a heavy sigh. "Do you reckon Snape'll be there?" he asked again.

"Probably," Remus said.

"Course he'll be there, he's the one that's supposed to end all this, isn't he?" Sirius pointed out.

"Mmm, just seems weird though," James mumbled.

"What's weird?" Remus asked.

"This whole _Prophecy_ thing. Just odd that Voldemort would believe it, and Dumbledore."

"I reckon there's more to it than we've been told," Sirius said.

"Obviously," Remus said. "Snape told us he couldn't tell us everything."

"Mmm," James frowned. "But why Snape?"

"Why _not_ Snape?" Remus countered.

"He's not exactly the _vanquishing_ type is he? Doesn't really have the aura of a saviour," Sirius snorted.

"I don't think that has anything to do with it," Remus said, wondering where the conversation was heading.

"He said he 'found out things' about Voldemort," James said. "How?"

"We always assumed he got in too deep with the Death Eaters, but I don't think that's it," Sirius stated. Remus frowned, thinking back to that day with Trelawney.

"I wish we knew what that Prophecy said, it might give us a clue," James said. "What?" James asked curiously, noticing Remus' frown.

"Nothing," he said quietly, not sure if he should mention it to them.

"What is it?" Sirius asked, rolling onto his side to look at him too.

"Do you know something?" James asked with a frown.

"Like what?" Remus sighed.

"I don't know, but there's something," James said confidently, folding his arms. Staring. Waiting.

"What else did you hear that day?" Sirius asked. "The Tarot? A second chance to right wrongs, you told us that's what Trelawney said."

"She did," Remus agreed.

"What else did she say?" Sirius asked again. Remus sighed.

"Just more nonsense," he said with a shrug.

"Such as..." James prompted.

"She spoke about time, she said he was too focussed on the future and what it could teach him," he whispered. "She said he was confused, and the future was influencing his present."

"Well that makes no sense," Sirius mumbled.

"I told you that," Remus snapped.

"We're all focussed on the future, we need to be, to get through this. And Snape's been helping Dumbledore plan this war," Sirius said.

"But how can he learn from the future?" James asked. "Planning for the future and _learning_ from it are two different things."

"It's just nonsense," Remus said again. It did sound like nonsense.

"Unless he's like a Seer or something," James said casually.

"Oh come off it, Prongs, he's not a bloody Seer," Sirius laughed.

"How else did he find out about Voldemort then?" James argued.

"Come off it mate, you're clutching at straws now!" Sirius stated.

"If he's seen glimpses of the future, that would have an effect on his decisions, right?" James asked.

"Of course it would, but he's _not_ a Seer" Remus said. "I think it's far more likely he happened to hear some things in Slytherin – from Mulciber or Malfoy – and decided that wasn't the right path for him."

"Yeah, he wanted to be with Evans, and she certainly wouldn't be _allowed_ in his life if Voldemort had anything to say about it," Sirius pointed out. "He had to choose didn't he? Evans or Voldemort. And at least he took whatever he _did_ know to Dumbledore. He's not a Seer!" he laughed again.

"Yeah," James sighed. "Yeah, it's just all so... _odd."_

"It is. And if it's odd for us, what must it be like for him and Lily?" Remus asked.

"Not long until the meeting though, and we'll get some sort of idea what's going on," James said hopefully.

Remus nodded, closing his eyes again as he let his head fall against the back of the chair, losing himself in his thoughts. It certainly was strange, so much emphasis was being placed on this Prophecy by both sides – yet next to no one knew the full contents. He hadn't thought much about that overheard Tarot reading, he'd pushed it to the corner of his mind while he concentrated on his studies, but Severus' recent chat with them had prompted him to revisit what he'd heard. It certainly sounded like nonsense – being given a second chance to right his wrongs. Did she mean purely to rethink his loyalties? To turn away from Voldemort's cause? Or something else entirely. And he was confused about the future, obsessed with learning from it. Could he see the future in some way? Was he a Seer? He very much doubted it. But could he be certain? He'd probably never find out anyway, Snape made it perfectly clear there was little he could, or would, discuss with anyone aside from Lily and Dumbledore.

What Remus did know, was that they trusted Severus Snape. Trusted that he was on their side and committed to removing Voldemort any way he could. Ultimately their goal was the same, so did it really matter how he uncovered the information? No. It didn't. Because Trelawney had also said that in the end, Severus would be the victor. And for Remus, that was enough.

...

"We can't go on like this, Albus," Severus heard a voice saying behind the closed door.

"We don't know when the next attack is coming!" a female voice added.

"Our homes are being watched," another voice protested.

"They always ask the same question – where is Severus Snape?" the first voice said.

"We knew this would happen," he heard Dumbledore saying quietly. "Voldemort has made his intentions known – he will remain hidden until Severus is found."

Severus felt Lily's grip on his hand tighten as he paused at the top of the stairs. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go in now that he was here and listening to the conversations of the Order members. They didn't seem happy about the unexpected attacks, or that the Death Eaters were searching for him. They were in danger because of him and that was why he wanted the war ending now.

Severus heard footsteps approaching, heading up the stairs behind him, he could hear their voices whispering excitedly. Turning, he found himself face to face with the Marauders, confusion written on Potter's face as he tried to figure out if he knew him, his transfigured features taking the boy longer to place.

"Snape?" Potter finally asked, though he didn't look sure. Severus nodded, pushing back the hood of his cloak, revealing his now light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, with newly hazel eyes and smaller nose to complete the change. Lily had opted for brown hair woven into a tight plait, her brilliant green eyes now a soft brown. She was still beautiful, but harder to recognise without the distinctive fiery hair and emerald eyes.

"Good disguises," Potter stated.

"Are we going in then, or what?" Sirius asked impatiently.

"Alright, keep your hair on mate," James said. Severus rolled his eyes, turning to push open the heavy wooden door.

The room instantly fell into silence, every set of eyes was on him as they walked inside.

"Good evening, Severus," Dumbledore greeted with a smile. Everyone else remained silent. "Do come in, all of you," he instructed.

Severus and Lily walked in, followed by the Marauders and their girlfriends close behind.

"Are we late, Sir?" Severus asked.

"Not at all, Severus. We were just about to be seated," he assured them as he gestured to the table. Everyone had been milling about in small groups, but with Dumbledore's statement they moved to sit.

Dumbledore stood at one end of a long wooden table, a small elderly wizard sat to one side of him, a large wizard on his other side who kept glancing at him suspiciously. Severus sat between Lily and Lupin, all the new recruits seemed to be seated together along one edge of the table. So many people were here and he didn't recognise many apart from his peers – only Frank Longbottom who'd left Hogwarts the previous year, Wilfred Ainscott, and Edgar Bones who had been present during some of the exams.

"Excellent," Dumbledore said with a tired smile as he glanced at each of them. "Thank you all for coming this evening, as you can see, we have a few new faces joining us," he said, gesturing towards the newest group. Severus could feel eyes on him again and tried to ignore it, keeping his attention firmly on Dumbledore. "They have been training with Wilfred back at Hogwarts, and are ready to assist whenever the next battle should come," he added. Potter and Black were nodding in agreement. "Now, I'm afraid we must begin with some extremely unpleasant news – unfortunately Benjy Fenwick did not survive our encounter the Death Eaters in Diagon Alley on Sunday evening, Caradoc Dearborn was injured and is now in St Mungo's and will hopefully make a full recovery," he explained. Shoulders slumped around the table.

"We did manage to take two marked men into custody – Amycus Carrow and Matthias Travers," the suspicious looking man informed them.

"Thank you, Alastor. It is a start, but they are dangerous and they fight hard. They are keen to avoid capture, attempting to force us to kill them, which I believe would be their preference – that should be a last resort," Dumbledore said. That was going to be difficult, Severus had no desire to actually kill anyone, but the Death Eaters gave them little other option, they would keep killing, keep fighting until they were stopped. In some cases, death would be the only thing that stopped them.

"What else is happening?" a small elderly wizard in a purple top hat asked.

"They're watching us," Edgar Bones said quietly.

"Watching who?" the little wizard asked.

"Aurors," Alastor said, Severus now suspected this was Alastor Moody, the Auror he'd read about in the Daily Prophet.

"They're specifically targeting Aurors?" a woman with shoulder length blonde hair asked.

"For the moment, they're watching," Edgar said.

"Watching for what?" the blonde woman asked, frowning in confusion. Severus met Dumbledore's eyes.

"Watching for me," Severus said quietly. All eyes turned back to him.

"Severus –" Dumbledore began.

"You know it's true, Sir," Severus interrupted. "They want to know where I'm hidden," he said calmly. Dumbledore sighed.

"They do," Dumbledore finally agreed.

"So all this is to find Severus?" Alastor asked.

"Voldemort believes Severus is important, he has made it clear he will not be seen until his Death Eaters have found him. You have all reported their questioning of Severus' whereabouts. They have been searching Diagon Alley, they will more thoroughly search Hogsmeade, that much is certain."

"They don't think you'd hide him somewhere so obvious, do they?" another woman asked.

"No, which is why they're watching Aurors – they may believe I would hide him with an Auror, or other Order member, so everyone take extra care, just in case," he told them. Quiet murmurs rippled around the table, their voices too low for him to pick out what was said. Severus hated this, the knowledge that people were being hurt, killed, as they searched for him.

"So this will just continue, until they find who they want?" another finally asked.

"This will not continue indefinitely," Dumbledore said. "The time will come for us to force Voldemort's hand."

"And how do you intend to do that?"

"He will have to find me," Severus stated simply.

"Find you? You're not bait!" Potter exclaimed.

"Quite right, James," Dumbledore agreed. "Our plan will need to be more sophisticated than dangling Severus as bait."

"And how's that going to work then?" Potter asked. Severus frowned, unsure why James Potter was the one protesting. It was obvious he would need to be found, there was no point arguing that, it was logical after all.

"I believe that is something that needs to be discussed between Severus and myself," Dumbledore said. Eventually Potter nodded, dropping his protests. "Now, we are still waiting on more information regarding Death Eater activities and their approaching of other... beings," Dumbledore continued. "Hagrid is attempting to locate one of the giants colonies, there is concern they may be enlisted, and hopefully we will be in a position to make contact with the werewolves in the near future," he explained. Severus frowned, wondering how this contact would be made, though Lupin seemed to shrink in on himself at the mention of werewolves. Was he being sent? That wouldn't be a pleasant task. "At the present, we know both Inferi and Dementors are being used by the Death Eaters, it is only logical that they should seek to add to their weapons with other beings wizards would fear," he said sadly. Slowly people around the table began to nod. It was a bleak outlook to begin with, it would only get worse as time went on.

"There is little other information to share with you this evening, however, with so many new faces in our midst it would be beneficial for you all to introduce yourselves to each other, you will all be fighting together now," he said, moving away from the table, gesturing others to do the same. It didn't take long for the table to empty, Order members breaking off into small groups again, quiet whispers filling the room.

Two red haired men approached him and Lily, the Marauders had joined Frank Longbottom in conversation with Edgar and Alastor.

"So, you're the _Severus_ we've heard so much about," one of them said. Severus frowned.

"You get that from your mother," the other man laughed.

"My mother?"

"Mmm. I'm Fabian Prewett, by the way, and this is Gideon, we're Molly's brothers."

"Ah."

"We've met Eileen at the Burrow," Gideon said. "She spoke of you often."

"That's... unexpected," Severus admitted.

"She _is_ your mother," Fabian argued. Severus responded with a shrug. In his experience that didn't matter too much.

"How is she doing? Molly misses her around the Burrow," Gideon said.

"She seems to be doing well so far. I don't think she's happy about Lily and me coming here this evening."

"Well, she's worried about you, she's your Mum and she knows the bad guys are looking for you," Fabian stated.

"Anyway, Molly wants your Mum, and you two, to go to the Burrow for lunch on Sunday," Gideon told them.

"She does?" Severus asked.

"She does, she misses your Mum's company –"

"And help with the kids," Fabian interrupted.

"And she'd like to meet you two," Gideon finished.

"I'll, well I'll talk to my mother and see what she says," Severus told them, unsure if he wanted to leave the safety of the cottage for lunch surrounded by small children somewhere unknown. He didn't know if it would put him, or Lily, or the Weasley's in more danger.

"Well, just tell Eileen to let Molly know," Gideon said. Severus nodded as the two men continued on, further into the room engaging in conversation with two witches.

"Is everything alright, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

"As _alright_ as it can be, considering," Severus admitted.

"Things will work out."

"Hopefully. And until then, we wait?"

"We must wait until the time is right."

"And how many more attacks will there be?" Severus asked quietly.

"I cannot answer that."

"It's not fair on the others. They know it's me Voldemort wants and they're being targeted."

"They understand what is required, Severus. Not all decisions are easy, but we will discuss it another day. If an attack takes place, I will not be able to call for you and Lily."

"I assumed that would be the case, Sir," Severus said quietly.

"I will come to the cottage in a few days to discuss matters more thoroughly. I know it's hard, but try to remain patient," he said gently. "We will remain united and see this through." With that, Dumbledore turned and walked away again, back to the two small elderly wizards who'd sat close to the Headmaster at the table.

"It'll be alright, Sev," Lily said, squeezing his hand.

"I just hate this waiting," he said, pulling her into one of the corners and casting a _Muffliato._ "It won't be long until the rest of the Order are blaming me."

"For what?" she asked him, frowning.

"For the attacks continuing – they know the Death Eaters are looking for me," he pointed out.

"True, but they're not just going to hand you over! You didn't ask for any of this."

"No, but it doesn't change things, Death Eaters are attacking their homes and I'm hiding!"

"It's not like that and you know it. Dumbledore is making the decisions on our side, we _all_ have to wait."

"Let's just get back to the cottage," he said with a sigh.

"We're supposed to be introducing ourselves," she pointed out.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," he muttered, hating that eyes kept fixing on him, everyone was curious about Severus Snape and wanted to know why Voldemort was so interested him, had chosen him to be the centre of the Prophecy.

"Hey you two, can I have a word?" James Potter's voice suddenly joined. Severus cancelled the _Muffliato_ while Lily answered.

"Sure, what's up?" she asked.

"I wanted to help. I know it can't be easy being cooped up in that cottage, and just coming here is a risk," he said.

"Mmm," Severus mumbled.

"I thought this might help you with getting to meetings," he said as he passed them a bundle of fabric.

"Potter –"

"Just take care of it, and give it back to me once you're got rid of You-Know-Who," he said firmly. Severus was lost for words, unsure how to respond to James Potter handing over what appeared to be his invisibility cloak.

"I mean... well... thanks," Severus finally stammered out.

"Don't mention it," Potter nodded. "Talk to you later," he said, before leaving to rejoin Black and Lupin.

"That's unexpected," Lily said, reaching to stroke the soft fabric.

"Indeed," he whispered. "Shall we go and introduce ourselves then?" he asked. "Get this over with?"

"Let's," she agreed, pulling him in the direction of Alice Prewett and Frank Longbottom. He really wasn't keen on socialising, but there was little choice, he needed to know who he was fighting with, and they deserved to know who they were hiding from Voldemort. Perhaps this wouldn't be as awful an experience as he was expecting, he still had Lily by his side after all, and now he had the invisibility cloak temporarily in his possession, that would make attending Order meetings that much easier. And it just might help Lily get close enough to remove the snake, clearing his own path to take down Voldemort.

 **A/N - thanks so much for following/ favoriting/ reviewing the story, I really do appreciate you taking the time to do that. I have been working very hard on getting the story written and am now approaching the end (sniff, sniff). I will try and get another chapter up before the weekend as my children break up from school tomorrow (which will make it harder for me to find time to write/type/edit) and we go on holiday on Friday morning. If I don't get chance before then, I'll post when I return on the 4th August. Take care everyone, see you soon, Leonie x**


	88. Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Lily and Severus appeared on the edge of land surrounding the Burrow, both of them completely covered by the invisibility cloak on loan from Potter. Having spent the majority of the last year here, Mrs Snape was familiar with the location and had surprisingly been able to Apparate them all. Apparition was one of the areas of magic the Weasley's had helped her with as she had learned to embrace the magical part of her nature and live as a witch once again.

Mrs Snape turned and headed for the path that wove between the long grasses, the hood of her cloak pulled close to her face. Lily and Severus kept pace with her, though it wasn't easy for them to remain entirely covered. The path led them around to the rear of the property; they could hear the noise and laughter of the children as they approached the house.

Lily squeezed Severus' fingers as his mother knocked on the door; she knew he wasn't looking forward to being surrounded by small children belonging to family he'd never met. Severus had never really been with children before, even when he was one himself, thanks to his mothers insistence he be home schooled. He'd never had a friend until he met her that day in the park, part of her wished he'd attended primary school with her, they'd have met a few years earlier and spent more time together; it might have made it easier for him to socialise if he'd been exposed to his peers earlier in his life. Then again, he may have been exactly the same, he may have been forced into closer proximity to more tormentors instead of just being pitied by the neighbours thanks to his father's reputation.

A man with a warm smile and bright blue eyes pulled the door open to welcome them.

"Eileen," he greeted enthusiastically. "Do come in."

"Thank you, Arthur," she replied, offering a small smile in return. Arthur retreated into the kitchen, allowing them all to enter. Mrs Snape closed the door behind them.

"Have you come alone, Eileen? I was expecting Severus and Lily to be with you," he enquired, looking puzzled.

"Oh, they're here," she confirmed with a smirk and a glance in their direction. Severus pulled the cloak from them, revealing them to their host.

"Oh my, an invisibility cloak," he commented. "Boys!" he sighed, distracted by a small red haired boy charging through the kitchen, with a smaller boy toddling behind as fast as his little legs could carry in pursuit of his brother. Lily couldn't help but smile at the sight of the boys, happy and playful as they darted about the house, Arthur's face a mixture of love and exasperation at their antics. The bigger of the boys ran off out the kitchen, a carefree grin on his face as he disappeared, the smaller boy stopped in front of Mrs Snape, his arms reaching up for her. Surprisingly, she scooped the small boy up into her arms, shifting his weight to settle on her hip as he snaked an arm around her neck to cling on, a thumb shoved into his mouth.

"He's been missing you," Arthur commented.

"Now, Percy, I've only been gone a week," she exclaimed, holding him a little tighter.

"It hasn't stopped him looking for you," Arthur laughed. "I'm glad the message got to you about today," he said to Mrs Snape before turning his attention to Severus and her. "I've heard so much about the two of you, Arthur Weasley," he introduced himself, offering his hand towards Severus, a warm smile still on his face.

"Severus Snape," he replied, accepting the handshake.

"Lily Evans," she added, offering her own hand to Arthur, which was shaken enthusiastically once he'd released Severus'.

"Excellent, very pleased to meet the both of you. That little fella Eileen has hold of is Percy, he became rather attached while she was living with us – the twins' arrival has been hardest on Percy, he's still so young yet."

"How old is he?" Lily asked, smiling at the cute little boy curled up in Mrs Snape's arms.

"He'll be two next month," Arthur answered. "The tearaway you saw a few minutes ago was Charlie, he's five and extremely full of energy and rather more fearless than I'd like," he said, shaking his head, that touch of exasperation creeping in alongside the fondness. "And Bill's upstairs reading I think, smart that one, he's going to be eight soon. And the twins – Fred and George – are in the front room with Molly, they're three months old already."

"Sounds like you have your hands full," Lily commented.

"We do, but I wouldn't change it for the world," he said happily. "Now, why don't you come through to the living room, I'm sure Molly's desperate to get in here and get dinner finished," he said. Lily nodded, following Arthur as he left the kitchen, leading them through to the other room. Everywhere she looked was full of bits and pieces, mostly children's things – toys, clothes, drawings attached to the wall – it was generally a cosy space. It was easy to see why they'd called it 'the Burrow'.

"Hello dears," a cheery faced woman with warm brown eyes greeted from her spot on the sofa, another red haired family member. Lily didn't think she'd ever seen so many red heads together, they were few and far between in both worlds. "Come in, do take a seat," she welcomed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with one hand, and adjusting the baby she was nursing with the other. "I see Percy's found you already," she commented as Mrs Snape made herself comfortable in a large armchair in the corner.

"Naturally," she replied, adjusting the toddler on her lap.

"So, how did you two find your NEWT's, then?" Molly asked them.

"Not too bad," Lily answered hesitantly. "Well, we got through them anyway," she added as she and Severus sat opposite her.

"I don't miss those days myself. Don't get me wrong, I loved my time at Hogwarts, but I was ready to move on, to make my own life and family," she told them; clearly motherhood was Molly's calling.

"I'm not sure I'm ready to move on yet," Lily admitted quietly.

"Oh? Aren't you planning a wedding?" Molly asked curiously.

"That's on hold for the moment, with the war and everything," Lily said sadly.

"I'm sorry, dear, I know I shouldn't pry. So, you're waiting until the war is over before starting a family?" she asked, she shouldn't pry, but she would.

"Once the war's over we can get married, but we both still have things we wish to accomplish," Severus said calmly.

"I see, so what are you planning to do in the meantime?"

"We've both been accepted to St Mungo's, in different departments to continue training and apprenticeships, depending on our results of course."

"Well, that's good then," she smiled, a polite smile that told them she thought they should settle down sooner rather than later. "And you'll get your exam results soon, yes?"

"We should get them by the end of the month," Severus answered. Molly nodded to them as the baby at her breast squirmed a little. Her attention was drawn to the bundle in her arms then, as she leaned him upright against her, patting his back until he gave her the 'burp' she was after, muttering 'pardon you' and pressing a kiss against the wisps of pale ginger hair. The baby in the basket started wriggling then, his little fists flinging about as he woke from his nap. Arthur scooped the little person into his arms and immediately made a bee line for Lily, offering the boy to her with a smile.

"Me? I've never really held a baby before," she said quietly.

"No time like the present," Arthur said, again offering the small baby to her.

"Alright," she conceded, allowing the man to place his son in her arms, small and warm and gurgling, big brown eyes blinking at her. Severus shifted closer to peek at the baby she held.

"Just think of it as practice," Mrs Snape said, looking highly amused at her uncertainty. Molly stood then, heading towards them as well.

"And we can't have you left out, Severus," she stated.

"What?" he asked, bewildered.

"Come on, he won't bite, not yet anyway," she laughed. Severus shifted his position as Molly continued her approach, clearly undeterred by his uncertainty.

"Oh, er, I'm not sure –" he began, but was cut off as the infant was placed firmly in his arms. Lily didn't miss Mrs Snape smirking from her position in the corner, whereas Molly and Arthur simply looked happy, beaming contentedly at their boys all snuggled up in the arms of their guests.

"See, nothing to it," Molly proclaimed. "I'll be back in just a mo, couple of things to check in the kitchen," she said before bustling off out of the living room. Arthur settled himself on the sofa opposite them, watching his identical babies in the teenagers arms.

"So, I understand from Eileen that you're Muggleborn," Arthur began.

"Oh, yes, that's right," Lily answered hesitantly.

"Fascinating, Muggles are," he continued.

"Right," she nodded, unsure where the conversation was now heading.

"Mmm, amazing things they've come up with, really rather inventive," he went on, an excited expression on his face. "Eileen's been telling me all about, oh what was the word again? Ah yes – appliances," he said happily.

"Appliances?"

"Mmm, fascinating what they can do with eklecticty isn't it?"

"Electricity?" she questioned.

"That's the one! With plugs and everything!"

"Plugs, right," she agreed, a smile trying to tug at the corners of her lips.

"Just so different to us, I mean, we've got spells for everything – if we want to heat water, or make toast we can use a charm, Muggles have got kettles! And toasters! Really is amazing!"

"It is," Lily nodded, it was quite sweet she supposed, that a wizard could find all the things she thought of as familiar, as something new and exciting. Even something as mundane as a toaster. "So what do you do, Arthur?" she asked.

Me? I work for the Ministry, Misuse of Muggle Artefacts."

"Oh? Does that happen a lot? Muggle items being misused?" she asked him.

"Well, most of the time it's something harmless to be honest, and if the Muggle items that had been enchanted in some way remained in wizard hands it wouldn't be quite such an issue. The problem occurs when these items find their way back into Muggle hands."

"That happens?"

"Oh yes. For instance, say we have a half blood who passes away with no wizarding relatives, but happens to have a cousin on the Muggle side of the family, that cousin might just take all her possessions to a Muggle charity shop, and those items might look innocent enough, like any other Muggle belongings, a nice looking tea set might get purchased by a Muggle passing by. It could be dangerous if the tea pot were enchanted to, for example, spit the tea out if they happened to brew a nice Darjeeling rather than Earl Grey."

"Ah, well, nobody wants their tea pot spitting their tea at them before it's even brewed," Severus commented.

"Well no, but it could lead to exposing our world," he said, a little more seriously. "Most of the time, I'm chasing up things like that, things that have _unintentionally_ found their way back into the Muggle world. But unfortunately, there are those out there who would do these things maliciously, jinx things to harm the Muggles that happen across them."

"Like the Death Eaters," Lily stated.

"Exactly," Arthur agreed. When put like that, Arthur's role seemed much more important.

"So, do you work with the Order?" Severus asked.

"Not exactly," he admitted. "We don't take part in meetings, or the battles with having such a young family. Of course, we support Dumbledore entirely and will help where we can in other ways."

"Such as taking me in," Mrs Snape commented.

"And we've been happy to have you," Arthur assured her. "Anyway, Molly's brothers fight for the Order – you've met Fabian and Gideon already," he told them. Lily nodded.

"Have there been any new attacks?" Severus asked. "Has there been anything reported in the Prophet?"

"Not much in the last few days, only speculation about where Voldemort may by laying low, and wondering what will bring him out of hiding again. There haven't been any new attacks since the Order meeting," he told them. Severus nodded, turning his attention back to the boy in his arms, who now seemed determined to fit his whole fist into his mouth. "I'm just going to see if Molly needs a hand," he said, excusing himself from the room.

"At least no new attacks," she said quietly.

"Mmm," he mumbled, distracted by the baby. Lily grinned at him. "What?" he asked with a frown.

"Suits you," she smiled at him, his frown softened as he glanced at her and the baby she held in her own arms.

"You could almost be a Weasley," he commented.

"Almost," she agreed. True, they were all red headed, but the Weasley's hair was much lighter than her own, a golden red compared to the deep red of hers.

"Suits you too," he said, tipping his head towards the child.

"Not yet please, you two," Mrs Snape remarked. Lily had almost forgotten she was still in the room with them.

It was surprising how comfortable the warm weight of a baby felt in her arms, it wasn't something she'd had experience with before, and neither had Severus, yet with the two of them cuddling identical bundles it all felt so natural. Normal. It felt like family. It made her even more determined than ever that they both survive Voldemort so they could create their own little bundles.

"I'm going to fetch Bill and Charlie down, I'm sure lunch will be ready soon," Mrs Snape told them as she rose from the chair, shifting the toddler in her arms once again.

"They really are adorable children," Lily commented, stroking a finger gently across a peach soft cheek of Fred, or George, she didn't know which.

"Indeed," remarked Severus.

"They must be exhausted running around after five!"

"Mmm, they're not quite done yet," Severus whispered.

"They're going to have more?" she whispered back, glancing up to meet his eyes.

"At least one more – a Weasley boy was best friends with your son."

"So another boy in a few years?" she asked. Severus gave a slight nod. "Wow, _six_ boys."

Six boys would definitely be a handful. She could think of no other explanation - Molly Weasley must be some kind of super hero.

...

Severus was in the potions lab once more, following his now daily ritual. Each morning he and Lily would have breakfast with their parents, then head down to the basement and select another healing potion to spend the day producing the biggest batch they could manage. When the time finally came, they would need all the potions they could get their hands on.

It was a strange kind of existence in some ways, they had only left the house twice in the last ten days – once to an Order meeting, and once to the Weasley's – they received no messages about the war, no newspapers, they had no clue what was going on. No idea how bad it was, how many were injured. How many were dead? For all they knew, the majority of the wizarding world could have gone down in flames, though the actual chances of that having happened were extremely tiny. Dumbledore would have at least sent him a Patronus it the apocalypse was taking place.

It seemed too peaceful, knowing that the war was building and battles were taking place. It didn't seem right that people were fighting and dying because the Death Eaters were looking for him. And he was hiding. Like a coward. Only, he wasn't a coward. _Was he?_ Lily didn't seem to think so, his hiding was merely strategic, they would likely only have one shot to take out Voldemort and they needed to do it right. A few lives would have to be lost now, to save more lives in the future. For the _Greater Good._ He hated that. It felt like they were dying because of him, dying because he wasn't ready to fight Voldemort sooner.

The pawns were being sacrificed. The more he thought about it, the more it felt like chess, just as Lily had said before. He understood the logic, but it didn't make him hate it any less. And in this game, he wasn't a pawn, and neither was Lily, though the idea of which pieces they were made him uncomfortable. Made him feel guilty. He wanted to believe they were the knights, being sent out to protect those higher up, more valuable than pawns but not yet having their own power and influence. But that was wrong – the knights were Potter, Black, Lupin, Order members. The more he thought about it, the only conclusion he could come to was that his role was king. He would stay, still, hidden, protected by the other pieces until he faced his counterpart. Voldemort. And Lily was his queen, always by his side, his defender, protector, without her he would be nothing; he would fail in his mission. The more he contemplated it, the more he hated the analogy. And where did Dumbledore fit into it? Well, he was the one playing the game, moving the white pieces directly, the black indirectly as they moved in response. Though of course, he was moving at least one of the black pieces directly – Regulus Black. The spy.

Being somewhere so peaceful, with no other focus definitely gave his mind too much time to analyse and over think every possible thing. Which was one of the reasons they brewed, they were both keen to throw themselves into the distraction it provided, especially when it was the only useful thing they could do for the war.

It wasn't all bad though, sharing a room and a bed with Lily was beyond wonderful. Even in the room he'd seen in that awful memory, having her sleeping by his side, in his arms was calming. With the warmth of her curves pressed tight against him, he was more relaxed at night than he thought possible, his dreams blissfully absent. He slept better than he'd ever done before in his life. He loved that the last thing he felt before drifting into sleep, and upon waking, was her soft lips against his and the fragrance of her rose-scented hair filling his nostrils. It was bliss. He wanted it to last forever.

The time spent with his mother remained a little strained; she was still almost a stranger, even with all her changes. He was still trying to reconcile what he remembered of his mother, and what he knew now – they were two very different people. He was glad she was no longer the broken shell of a woman, that was heartbreaking to remember, let alone witness. It was far better for everyone that she be proud of herself as a witch, be confident in her abilities. But he couldn't help but feel a pang of resentment, seeing her interact so easily with the Weasley children, especially Percy. He felt he'd missed out on so much of his mother's affection and attention over the years. When he'd been Percy's age, or even Charlie's age, she'd been more attentive, he remembered she would read to him, she taught him to read and write when it was just the two of them all day every day while his father was at work. He couldn't pinpoint exactly when it changed, it was so gradual, the light dimmed in his mother's eyes, she became lost in her own thoughts as his father worked less and drank more. It had been his father's fault, he was the one who kept them in the dirt, and she'd been tired of fighting, eventually becoming lost, broken, subservient. He wished she'd found the strength to leave him when he was still a child, but she couldn't. She'd already been abandoned by her parents, she never spoke of them, so there was no way she would break up the family she'd created for herself, no matter who dysfunctional it was. On the plus side, it seemed that when he and Lily _were_ ready to start a family, his mother would have an active role in their lives. His children would have people around them who loved them, their lives would be so different to his own and he would do his best to be the father they deserved.

Severus shifted his attention back to the preparation, carefully chopping the leaves of Adder's Tongue they needed for the burn healing paste. With the knowledge they could be facing Inferi that could only be removed with fire; there was a chance that fighters could suffer burns during the battle. It only seemed prudent to have burn remedies in their emergency potions kits.

"Sev?" Lily's voice called from the top of the stairs.

"Mmm?" he mumbled, pausing in his chopping as he heard her footsteps on the stairs.

"Good morning, Severus," Dumbledore's voice greeted. Severus did put the knife down then, getting up from his stool and turning to face the Headmaster.

"Good morning, Sir. Is everything ok?" he asked anxiously, frowning even though Dumbledore still looked perfectly calm, a small smile on his lips.

"Everything is ok, relatively speaking," he nodded. Lily moved to stand beside him, both leaning back against the wooden bench.

"Did you need us for something"? Severus asked, folding his arms across his chest, resisting the urge to start pacing.

"I wanted to check up on you both," Dumbledore began. "We did not get a chance to speak at the Order meeting."

"How much do the others know?" Severus asked. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow in question. "About the Prophecy? About me?" he asked quietly.

"They are aware of the Prophecy and that Voldemort has chosen for it to be pertaining to yourself. They have not been given any of the details," Dumbledore explained. "The only who know more than that are ones you have chosen to divulge that information to."

"Do they blame me?" Severus asked in a whispered voice.

"Blame you? For what?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"For hiding."

"Why should they blame you?"

"Because they're being watched, being injured, killed even, while Voldemort is searching for me."

"There is no reason to blame you for any of those things," the Headmaster said quietly. "Would you rather be 'in the open?'" he asked.

"No, not in the open. Just, I should be fighting _with_ them. They shouldn't be fighting for me," he sighed.

"They fight to free the world from the growing darkness. It is not solely _your war,_ you know this. We each have a part to play, your part is yet to come," he said gently. Severus sighed again, he still didn't like it.

"And they're fine with that, fine with their role?"

"We are all soldiers in a time of war, Severus. Every loss affects us all greatly, but it is impossible for our world to be free without them."

"It doesn't make it easier to live with though. Every loss will be a reminder that I wasn't able to end it sooner."

"I know," Dumbledore stated simply. "Believe me, I know how heavy guilt can be, but I assure you, it is not your burden to carry. The guilt should belong to the ones committing the atrocities, and it belongs to me."

Severus met the old man's eyes, realisation hitting him dead on. Guilt. It was written so plainly on Dumbledore's face, his eyes conveying it so very clearly. Dumbledore was already carrying guilt from previous wars, wars that had affected him, his family, the world, deaths linked to Grindelwald, so many lives could have been saved if he'd stopped him sooner; guilt for not recognising Voldemort for what he was at school, for failing that orphaned boy and being powerless as he watched him slip into darkness, gathering vicious followers who would crush anyone in their path. He hadn't been able to stop Voldemort in the war that had actively been brewing and building since before Severus had even started his first year at Hogwarts. And Dumbledore would carry the guilt of every life lost in this push towards the end – every witch and wizard who lost their life following his orders, and every Death Eater who had been failed and sunk in darkness. He would mourn them all. He understood it. Severus let out a very shaky breath.

"Are you alright, Sev?" Lily asked, her fingers reaching to touch his still folded arms.

"Yeah," he said, his voice low.

"You understand, don't you, Severus?" the Headmaster whispered.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"The Order are concerned for your safety, as you are Voldemort's target – as Mr Potter pointed out so eloquently, you are _not bait,_ " he assured him. Severus almost laughed, but managed to restrain himself.

"So what do we do next?" Lily asked.

"He needs to find us, Dumbledore," Severus stated. He had to, there was no other way out of it.

"I know," Dumbledore admitted reluctantly.

"He won't find us here unless he's told," Severus pointed out. "I think we should bring Regulus into this."

"I have yet to hear from Regulus, I was hoping he would be able to slip away at some point – providing he can do so without raising suspicion."

"Mmm, and you don't have any idea where he's staying for the summer?"

"He floo'd back to Grimmauld Place at the end of term, I assume he'll spend most of his time there, but that depends how frequently he's summoned, he may just station himself at either of his cousins' manors."

"What a delightful summer that would make," Severus snorted sarcastically. Poor Regulus really didn't have any decent options to choose from. Option one: spend the summer with his Pureblood supremacist parents, listening to endless lectures on how dirty and disgusting those below them were, and how the Dark Lord had the right idea and it was about time someone put these filthy mudbloods in their place. Option two: Malfoy Manor with Lucius still grovelling after fucking up with the Diary, plus endless discussions on blood purity and how lucky they were to hold such a privileged place in society – though admittedly Narcissa wasn't marked as a Death Eater and had more than two brain cells to rub together – and Voldemort made house calls there. Option three: Lestrange Manor, a summer cooped up with Bellatrix who would no doubt want to teach darling Reggie, her favourite cousin, all manner of weird and wonderful curses to prolong the suffering of anyone unfortunate enough to be on the other end of her wand. And Voldemort made house calls there too. All things considered, option one was probably the best of a bad lot.

"Indeed," Dumbledore commented with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, when you _do_ see him, I think you should get him to suggest this village as somewhere to search. Voldemort would have no reason to suspect it would be a trap, coming from Regulus," Severus said.

"What about the Muggles here though?" Lily asked worriedly.

"I will keep them safe, Lily. I may be the only one strong enough to erect powerful enough wards, I will do that while the two of you fight Nagini and Voldemort," he told them.

"And that will work?" she asked.

"It should, but there are no guarantees," he admitted.

"Then shouldn't we take the fight somewhere else? Somewhere more isolated?" Lily asked nervously.

"Ideally, the further away from civilisation, the better but..." Dumbledore trailed off.

"But then he'd know it was a trap the instant his Death Eaters get there," Severus finished. Anywhere too remote would set Voldemort's alarm bells ringing, he was more than a little insane, but he wasn't stupid.

"The good thing is the Muggle part of the village is separated from the magical part, that will make it easier to set up and maintain protection wards," Dumbledore said. Severus nodded almost absently.

"Are there alarms already set? In case Death Eaters come into the village before we're ready," he asked.

"Of course. If anyone appears in this street with a dark mark, you'll hear an alarm," he assured them.

"So, what about my parents? What do they do when Voldemort comes?" Lily asked.

"In theory, they could stay here, it will still be under the Fidelius, no one could get into the cottage," Severus said.

"Quite right," Dumbledore nodded. "Or you could floo them to the Burrow at the first sign of trouble – you can floo out of the cottage, just not in."

"I think that's something we should discuss with your parents," Severus said quietly. "And my mother, I have no idea what her intentions are."

"We should do that later," Lily agreed, nodding slowly.

"Have there been any more attacks?" Severus asked.

"One," Dumbledore admitted. "The Auror department lost one of their team as he intervened in an attack on a Muggleborn witch."

"And the witch?"

"Is now missing," he answered sadly.

"The Death Eaters took her?" Lily asked with wide eyes.

"I believe so, and unfortunately we have no idea who was involved in the attack. Aurors will continue to investigate her disappearance, of course."

"Can we start having newspapers delivered?" Severus asked. "I hate not knowing what's going on out there."

"I don't believe _knowing_ would help," Dumbledore said gently. In some ways that was true, knowing the names of each person missing, each person killed, made his burden of guilt more real. But he needed to know.

"Please."

"Very well," Dumbledore finally conceded. "I will have newspapers sent to you. And I will let you know when I hear from Regulus."

"Thank you. When is the next Order meeting?" Severus asked.

"Friday evening, same place, 8pm," Dumbledore told them. "I shall see you both then" he added, turning to head back up the stairs.

"Oh, before you go, what would you like to do with the potions we've brewed?" Lily asked.

"You have some already?" he asked, turning back to face them.

"Mmm, a few," Severus snorted, gesturing towards a rack on the far wall.

"My, my, you have been busy," Dumbledore said with some amusement.

"Perhaps you could bring some with you to the meeting," he suggested. "Though probably best to store some here, if this is where the battle will be heading."

"We'll go through things tomorrow then," Severus assured him.

"Well, I must be off now, I'll see you in a couple of days," he said as he began to head up the stairs. "I'll see myself out, Severus, you two stay down here," he said as Severus went to follow. "Take care, both of you."

"And you, Headmaster," Lily replied. With a small smile and a nod, Dumbledore disappeared, the wooden door closing heavily behind him, leaving Lily and Severus alone again.

Severus let out a heavy breath as he turned back to the work bench, resuming his chopping. Lily seemed to pick on the fact that he didn't want to talk, and busied herself with the cauldron, measuring the linseed oil they would need. What could he say? Not a whole lot really. They were planning to end the war. Dumbledore was preparing to move some of the bigger pieces on the board, once he'd spoken to Regulus the wheel would be in motion and he and Lily would be exposed, they would play their parts and end this war one way or another. And this evening they needed to have a very frank discussion with their parents, they needed a plan to keep them safe when the time came. Severus wasn't looking forward to that discussion one little bit.


	89. Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Lily and Severus landed heavily in their usual copse of trees, the invisibility cloak whipping about their ankles with their apparition, the echo of the 'crack' swallowed up in the shadows. It was almost midnight, the sky a deep navy though not entirely black thanks to the season, there was always some residual light, not everything was lost to the darkness.

Lily swiped at her eyes with her fingers, she didn't want to cry, but she honestly didn't have a choice, the emergency meeting had been called for the worst imaginable reason – another loss. A loss which cracked her fragile emotions, the hot tears forced their way silently from her eyes, moving down her cheeks in shimmering trails. She tried to be stronger than that, she really did, and besides, those who lost their lives in this deserved to be mourned, if only for an evening. Tomorrow she would put on her face again, be stronger again, but tonight she would cry for those lost.

Severus kept his arm firmly around her, keeping her close to him while he cast the usual charms, looking for potential witnesses to their arrival. She sniffed as he led her carefully from the trees, never saying a word as they stepped as quietly as they could while keeping the cloak over them.

Within a matter of minutes, they had crossed the deserted lane and were back in the now familiar cottage, the cloak removed and hung on its peg by the door. Despite the hour, Lily automatically made her way to the living room, sinking heavily onto the sofa, burying her face in her hands as the silent tears became sobs.

Severus knelt in front of her, pulling her close, her chin resting on his shoulder, breathing in his familiar and comforting scent. He said nothing as she sobbed, just let her cry as he stroked her back, his fingers trailing softly against the fabric of her robes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered when her tears subsided again.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," he assured her, his voice low in her ear. She sighed as she pulled herself away, leaning against the back of the sofa. Severus moved to sit beside her, reaching to lace their fingers together as they drifted once more into silence.

"I wasn't expecting that," she finally said, though she didn't know what she _had_ been expecting when Dumbledore's Patronus had arrived at dinner time.

"Me neither," he admitted.

"This is only the beginning, isn't it?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know," he answered.

"The beginning of the end?" she asked instead.

"Possibly," he conceded. Lily nodded in response. It felt like it, each day was closer to it. A few days ago at the regular meeting, they'd been told that Death Eaters still seemed to be observing Order members and Aurors, but nothing more. With this emergency meeting, it seemed their tactics were changing yet again. The Death Eaters were no longer purely observing, now their targets would be killed. Or at least, that's what they suspected. Dumbledore believed this would be the first of many confrontations as the Death Eaters attempted to pick off their enemies one by one in the shadows, outnumbering them at each attack leaving them with little or no chance of survival.

"At least his family were unharmed," Severus commented. Lily could only nod. It was a small consolation. They'd chosen an Auror with a family and they wanted to make an example of him, a blood traitor. A Pureblood who fought with the Ministry and with Dumbledore's Order against them. Edgar Bones. Fortunately his wife had taken their children to visit a relative, Edgar had been home alone when Death Eaters had broken through his wards. For some reason, he didn't flee when they arrived, maybe he couldn't. No one knew how many he'd faced. Moody had arrived first and found Edgar's body. There were signs of the struggle that had taken place, broken furniture, chunks taken out of doors and walls.

Moody and Dumbledore had both struggled to tell the rest of the Order of these events, but they had to. It would be reported in the Prophet within a day or two and those he fought beside daily deserved to know before it was sensationalised in the papers. Lily and Severus had only met him twice at the Order meetings, though they'd seen him at school during their exams, but his loss still hurt. This was the first time someone they knew had been killed. The others they'd read about or been told about had just been names, and it was still sad, but this was _real._ Every loss would hurt, and they had no idea how many times they would have to go through this. How many emergency meetings? If it continued, there wouldn't be much of an Order left before they would have to face Voldemort and his snake. Even if fate, destiny, whatever it was that had planned for her and Severus to deliver the final blows, they couldn't do it without support, they couldn't clear a path to them with just the two of them, they couldn't fight without back up. Though with the other information Dumbledore passed to them tonight, she didn't think it could be much longer before Voldemort showed up on their doorstep.

"He'll be coming for us soon, won't he?" she asked in a hushed whisper. Severus' grip on her fingers tightened. "That's what Dumbledore was saying to us, wasn't it?" although he was subtle about it.

"I believe so," he finally agreed. Dumbledore had spoken to them privately, telling them that Regulus had been in touch and would be again soon. Regulus had been told the name of the village, he'd been told that Dumbledore had personal ties to the area. He wasn't going to tell Voldemort immediately, he was going to wait until he believed the time was right, when Voldemort _needed_ to know. She and Severus needed to be alert, _ready._ They needed to be able to hide her parents at a moments notice if necessary, though of course, providing they stayed inside the cottage they would be safe thank to the Fidelius – Regulus hadn't been given the address, not that it would have mattered if he had, he couldn't have shared it as he wasn't the secret keeper.

Her parents were another subject weighing heavily on her mind. With the knowledge that the war would find her and Severus here, it only strengthened her belief that they should be elsewhere, even if that meant they went to stay with Petunia and her hideous husband. It was dangerous for them to stay together, her parents would be targets thanks to her, and they couldn't hope to fight Death Eaters. They would be killed without hesitation. They had discussed it at length after Dumbledore's visit to the cottage a few days ago, when Severus proposed his plan to involve Regulus at some point. Neither she nor Severus had been able to convince them to leave. They wouldn't even entertain the idea of flooing to the Burrow when trouble arrived. Lily couldn't force them, though she wished she could, they didn't know how bad it was going to be.

Her parents wanted to stay in the cottage, not just in general, but when the fight _did_ start. They wanted to remain close to their daughter, even though they couldn't fight by her side. They wanted to help with healing the wounded, heading out with the potions and salves Lily and Severus had been brewing when it was safe to do so. Tending to wounds, administering bandages and potions they could do, they didn't need magic to tend to the survivors, only compassion. There was nothing that could be said to sway their decision. Their minds were made up.

"I just wish we knew how long," she whispered.

"I know," he answered with another squeeze of her hand, and a gentle kiss to her temple as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"It's so late now, we should go to bed," she suggested.

"We should," he agreed, moving to softly press his lips to hers, her hand slipped up to cup his cheek before threading into his dark hair.

Severus broke the kiss, standing and pulling her with him by their still linked fingers, quickly heading to their room, their footsteps near silent as they moved through the cottage. The instant their bedroom door closed, his lips were on hers again, each of them pouring their emotions into it. They had no idea how long it would be until they were found, he could turn up on their street tomorrow for all they knew. They had to make the most of every second they spent together.

Severus' hands were pushing the robes from her shoulders as she walked him backwards to the bed, falling onto the mattress side by side, lips barely leaving each other's even as the tears still silently leaked from her eyes. Each of them needed the warmth and comfort they could only find in the other's arms, trying to forget and remember all at the same time, while they still could.

...

Dumbledore sank wearily into his chair, an arm draped over one of the rests. He'd never felt so exhausted in his life, for once he felt every single one of his ninety seven years of existence. So much was happening, so much fighting, so many lives in his hands. He felt the weight of that responsibility, the entire wizarding world was balanced on his shoulders and it had never felt more precarious. They were surely at the tipping point now, it would take so little to push the war one way or the other. If it fell one way, Severus would succeed and they would be free of Voldemort. If it fell the other, Voldemort would win and the world would burn down in flames.

He'd never felt so utterly powerful and powerless at the same time. He liked to think that he was in control, that he could make the right moves to bring the Light to victory, but fate could more than a little fickle. So much of his faith had been placed in Severus and his ability to end this – in part due to the memories, in part due to the Prophecy. That didn't stop _other_ prophecies being made, new ones appeared in the Hall from time to time, but he wouldn't necessarily be aware of that. Though admittedly, the vast majority of prophecies remained unfulfilled, not heard by anyone else and not set into motion, then fading into obscurity.

The entire Order had taken the loss of Edgar Bones hard. Yes, they had lost others along the way and each one was mourned, but the others had died in battles, attacks which had sprung up without warning, Aurors killed in the line of duty. In a way, losses people expected. But this was the first loss the newest recruits had met personally – eight new Order members who had just lost their first ally. And Albus had known the attack was coming. He'd been able to save his family, after meeting with Regulus he'd told Edgar that the Death Eaters would be moving on from observation to attacks. Edgar had sent his wife and children to stay with relatives for a few days, just in case. Edgar opted to stay at home, and Albus hadn't encouraged him to leave. And now he'd lost his life. But Regulus' position as spy was safe.

Fawkes trilled lightly as he observed from his position on his perch. Albus could only sigh as he met the eyes of his companion.

"The end is approaching, my friend," he told the Phoenix. Fawkes cocked his head as if in a silent inquiry. "Voldemort will be coming for them soon, for Severus and Lily," he said sadly. Fawkes trilled again. Regulus now knew the name of the village and would be suggesting it as a place to search. Though Albus had no idea when that would happen. Surely Voldemort would go to Godric's Hollow the instant it was suggested. Albus had done all he could in preparation, his friends that lived on the lane would inform him if they noticed anything suspicious, and the alarms would sound in both his office and the cottage if someone appeared in the street with a dark mark. He could only hope that it gave them enough time to summon the Order, they would need every wand possible to win this.

In some ways, this war was worse than the previous one against Grindelwald. His former friend had worked mostly in the shadows, gathering supporters while so much attention had been on the mostly Muggle war against Hitler. Grindelwald had been obsessed with the Deathly Hallows, had stolen the Elder Wand believing that would give him the advantage he needed to get ahead in their own war and reveal the wizarding world for the _greater good._ Albus knew that revealing themselves would do neither group any good. Knowing about the existence of magic would only terrify the Muggles, they would use whatever means they could to 'even the playing field'. Muggles had weapons that were becoming stronger and more devastating, bullets that would kill a wizard faster than he could draw his wand, bombs that could destroy Diagon Alley completely. Muggles were not helpless, their weapons were dangerous and they outnumbered the magical population enormously. More than fifty million Muggles to just a few thousand witches and wizards. A war with Muggles would surely mean the end of the magical community, they could be wiped out so easily. They had to stay hidden for the good of every single human being.

Fortunately, that final duel had come down to skill, the Elder Wand hadn't made a difference and Albus had come out the victor. His former friend hadn't forced the duel to the death, once disarmed he'd allowed Albus to lock him away in isolation. Alive and trapped for the rest of his days, and ever since then, Albus had taken the Elder Wand for his own, had used it daily, never revealing the true nature of it. Never telling a soul of its history, of its legend. Well, Severus knew that secret, the memories had revealed that to him and Albus couldn't deny it. The other Severus had been murdered for it as Voldemort had uncovered the secret himself. He wished he knew more about that other time, the other versions of the people he knew. How did Voldemort uncover the secret? Did Severus know in that time? Had Severus been the wand's master? Albus sighed again, these were things he was unlikely to get answers to, but he couldn't help his curiosity. At least _this_ Voldemort seemed to be blissfully ignorant of the existence of the Elder Wand.

"They will need you, Fawkes," Albus told his feathery friend. Fawkes eyed him curiously, gracefully stretching his crimson wings. "When Voldemort finds them, they will need you," he said again. Fawkes trilled again, almost nodding as he settled back down on his perch.

Albus couldn't help but think that the sword of Gryffindor would be involved in some way, it had been so instrumental in the other universe, it could only be a matter of time until it was needed here. They were hiding in Godric's Hollow, the birth place of Godric Gryffindor, the final battle would happen there. And of course there were Trelawney's words to Lily about her role with the snake – ' _the snake will only be destroyed by a lion – a fierce and brave lion. And you will do it, to protect the Chosen One'._ Lily Evans was indeed a fierce and brave lion, a true Gryffindor who would do whatever it took to protect and defend her friend. If the sword of Gryffindor was going to present itself to anyone, it would be her. He just wished he could predict that with a little more certainty. If anyone was able to help, it would be Fawkes. Somehow he knew there was so much more to his mysterious companion. Hopefully it would be enough.

Unlike Grindelwald, there was no way Voldemort would hand himself over to the authorities, nothing that would convince him to live out his days in Azkaban. Voldemort wanted to kill Severus, or die trying. Which seemed to be utterly illogical for one who was so obsessed with thwarting death, so afraid of what lay beyond the veil that he would create multiple Horcruxes. But that meant Severus would have to kill, would have to commit murder for the Greater Good. Yes, the removal of Voldemort would free their world, but Severus' soul would still be hurt by his actions. If Albus could protect him from that he would, but deep inside he knew what the poor boy had to do. That would be another burden for Albus to carry, along with every life lost, he would remember each and every name and carry it with him until the day he died and beyond. Perhaps he would have to atone for each one in the afterlife.

Albus sighed again as he heaved himself out of his chair, slowly heading for the hidden doorway leading through to his quarters, fishing a coin out of his robes, casting a quick glance at it before setting it on the table beside his bed. The coin was one of a pair, the other with Regulus Black, charmed to send messages, it was the only way they could communicate, they couldn't send a Patronus or an owl, both of those would draw far too much attention. So, charmed coin it was. Regulus would be able to subtly alert him if the Death Eaters were on their way to attack somewhere – whether that be an Order member, Auror, or Godric's Hollow. In some ways, Dumbledore dreaded the day the coin would heat up, it would mean that lives were on the line.

...

It was mayhem when James Potter and Sirius Black Apparated to their destination. They'd made sure to arrive at the rear of the house, and they could hear the noise of the fight carrying round from the front of the property. Shouts and screams tore through the air, carried on the summer breeze. Their friends were being injured and hurt so close to them. The spells were flashing like fireworks even though it was the middle of the day.

James fought back the urge to dive right in, and kept hold of Sirius who was clearly desperate to do just that. Sirius frowned in question, James held a finger to his lips to silence his friend.

"We need to tread carefully, see if we can take any of them out before we're spotted," he whispered.

"Right, yeah," Sirius whispered back, not looking happy at the prospect of sneaking up on them. Sirius followed suit as James cast a disillusionment charm over himself and crept carefully along the side of the house, keeping his back pressed against the wall.

The Order members were outnumbered by the Death Eaters and some of the more dangerous ones were here at the McKinnon's home – Bellatrix was engaged in battle with both Marlene and her husband Angus, cackling maniacally, taunting them as she easily deflected their attack, tossing spells of her own at them, jets of red light firing endlessly. That was the only consolation, none of the Death Eaters were able to concentrate for long enough to use a killing curse, all were focussed on hurting their opponents and deflecting spells. Malfoy was battling Alastor Moody, Frank had three facing him all with their faces hidden by the eerie masks.

" _Sectumsempra!"_ he heard one of the Death Eaters scream, that sounded like Mulciber, the evil git who had been expelled from Hogwarts for using an Unforgiveable, clearly he'd just continued honing his sadistic tendencies with Voldemort's followers. A woman's scream followed as Mulciber's victim collapsed to the floor, James' heart was pounding in his chest, he didn't know how to enter the fight.

" _Crucio!"_ another Death Eater cried, and one of the Prewett's collapsed to his knees.

" _Stupefy!"_ James cried, blasting the robed attacker backwards, allowing the red head a reprieve from the torture. The other Prewett quickly bound the floored Death Eater and pulled his brother back to his feet.

The light from his _stupefy_ had given away his position, and two Death Eaters began the charge towards them.

" _Expelliarmus!"_ James cried as the first approached, though the spell bounced off the cloaked mans shield. The next second, jets of red were coming towards him as the Death Eaters advanced and both James and Sirius were trying to fight them back.

"Is that the best you can do?" Sirius taunted as he deflected another curse. James almost rolled his eyes, trust Padfoot to want to goad them. " _Spheara Sempra!"_ Sirius exclaimed at the same time as James called out a _Petrificus Totalus._ Sirius hit his target, his victim spinning madly on the spot, cloak spinning around wildly. A noise somewhere between a cry and a groan escaped from the spinning mans lips, his wand slipping from his fingers and flying off into the grass. He'd never seen Severus' jinx used on an actual person, it really was something to see. Fortunately the sudden distraction of his 'colleague' spinning like a top allowed James' own jinx to hit its mark, his target keeling over rigid.

James and Sirius dashed quickly away from the two Death Eaters, their disillusionment charms worn off exposing them to all. James heard a shriek from Bellatrix as she registered that her _blood traitor_ cousin had appeared. With a roar of fury, Marlene and Angus were blown backwards, collapsing onto the floor, injured but alive as they lay on the ground.

"Well, hello cus," Sirius drawled. "Long time no see," he grinned as he attempted to hit her with the spinning jinx.

"Foolish boy!" she spat. "You are no cousin of mine! To think you were born to the house of Black!" she shrieked, sending jets of red at Sirius. James saw Moody send a Death Eater flying before joining Sirius against Bellatrix.

James quickly made his way to the woman Mulciber had hit with the cutting curse. She hadn't moved since she'd been struck by it. Kneeling beside her, he could see the blood seeping through her robes where the spell had cut across her chest, her skin was pale, breathing extremely shallow. She didn't look good, but at least she was still alive. James ducked, casting a silent _Protego_ as a spell flew over their heads, chancing a glance around to check no one was approaching.

He chanted the counter curse just as Snape had taught them, pulling her robes aside to check the wound was knitting back together. He pulled out the emergency potions kit he'd been given at the last Order meeting and administered blood replenishers as gently as he could, but there was little else he could do for her. He'd only met her a couple of times, now recognising her as Emmeline Vance, and really hoped there was chance to heal her more fully later.

James jumped back to his feet as spells were aimed at him again, another masked man stalking towards him determinedly. James clenched his jaw, his own determination to survive taking over as he deflected the jets of light before retaliating, flinging whatever he could think of at the approaching man – body binds, impediment jinxes, a blasting curse at the ground, he tried to disarm him. He could almost sense the smirk coming from behind the mask. James resorted to Snape's cutting curse, it grazed the man's arm as he was a split second too late to block in entirely.

"You can't hide him forever," the Death Eater growled, his voice distorted behind the cold metal.

"Well, he's not here anyway!" James shouted back, raising his shield quickly as the man attacked again.

"We're just going to kill each and every one of you until we get to that snivelling coward!" he yelled. James tried to disarm him again, but the Death Eater was quicker. " _Crucio!"_ the Death Eater cried and James desperately tried not to scream. The noise was torn from his throat regardless, the curse forcing him to his knees, the pain blinding in its intensity. Suddenly the curse lifted, the Death Eater had been knocked off his feet by a new arrival. Dumbledore.

Dumbledore pulled him to his feet, he was still breathing heavily as the pain receded.

"I'm alright," James panted not too convincingly.

"Very good," Dumbledore answered with a nod, both of them heading into the fray.

Emmeline Vance was still lying unconscious on the grass, though Marlene and Angus were back on their feet. Over by the side of the house, one Death Eater still lay petrified, the one Sirius hit still spinning, there were others still lying on the ground – both Death Eaters and Order members. He hadn't caught sight of Jessica today, he had no clue if she'd been summoned, he and Sirius had been with Remus in the shack recovering from the full moon. Spells continued to fire all around, cracking, whipping sounds from a variety of curses; gasps, pants and screams coming from the ones unfortunate enough to be hit.

Then suddenly, a high pitched wail tore through the air, unnatural sounding and from Dumbledore's direction. Everything stopped, no one dared to move. The Death Eaters were all grasping their arms where their dark marks were. Within seconds, the Death Eaters were gone, Disapparated to who knew where.

"What's the noise?" Moody called out.

"An alarm, Alastor," Dumbledore answered. "Elphias, Dedalus, Caradoc, are the three of you alright?" he asked, the three nodded confirming they were relatively unharmed. "Excellent, between you can you get our injured friends to safety, and injured enemies to a holding cell?" he asked.

"I should get them in, Albus, or at least get some Aurors here to help sort the mess out," Alastor protested.

"Perhaps, but you may be needed elsewhere," he said, suddenly distracted as he pulled something from his robes, frowning as he glanced at it in the palm of his hand. "Everyone gather round," Dumbledore called out. "Another attack is imminent," he said seriously, his face harsh and missing any trace of his usual levity.

"Another attack?" Frank asked.

"I'm afraid so, we must summon every single person who is not yet here – Alastor we will need more Aurors, perhaps if you and Caradoc can take these gentlemen in and alert Barty to what is happening and join us as soon as you are able," he said.

"Of course, Albus," Alastor answered, his frown even deeper now, it wasn't going to be good if Dumbledore was requesting the help of the Ministry. "Join you where?" he asked. Dumbledore took a deep breath before answering quietly.

"Godric's Hollow. It would appear Voldemort has found Severus."


	90. Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Severus stared absently out of the kitchen window, not really looking at anything in particular. It was another bright day, a clear blue sky, a light fragrance of lavender wafting in through the open window on the gentle breeze. He sighed as he resumed washing the vegetables he and Lily were preparing as part of their lunch. Lily was at a nearby worktop, slicing baguettes and filling them with ham and cheese, their parents all seated at the table making light conversation. And Severus felt restless. He couldn't put his finger on why, nothing had changed. At least, not that he knew of. Perhaps that was the problem. The unknown.

Severus took the vegetables out of the sink and placed them on a clean tea towel, drying them off ready. They were beginning their fourth week in the cottage now, perhaps that was contributing to the restlessness. Yes, they spent their days in a somewhat productive way with all their potions work, but they were still trapped apart from Order meetings when necessary. July would be over in little more than a week, and that would leave only one more month to end this war. Otherwise September would come and he and Lily would still be trapped and unable to take up their apprenticeships. He hated being trapped.

"When do you get your exam results?" Mrs Evans asked.

"Soon, I imagine," his mother remarked. Severus frowned, he thought they would have received them already, perhaps that was something affected by the Fidelius, they didn't get any other post after all. Apollo was the only owl they saw as he flitted in and out the house occasionally, though he spent most of the time out hunting in the trees and fields across the lane.

"It should be soon," Lily answered. "By the end of the month, I think."

"Maybe we should ask Dumbledore next time we see him, I'm not sure Ministry owls would find us," Severus said as he picked up a knife.

"Do you know when you'll next see him?" Mrs Evans asked.

"Unfortunately not," Severus answered.

"I'm sure he'll let us know about the next Order meeting soon enough," Lily said quietly.

"I doubt it'll be long till – " Severus' sentence was cut off by a sharp, piercing wail splitting the air and almost his ear drum at the same time; his heart was torn between pounding wildly and stopping completely. The alarm. _Oh fuck._

"What is that?" Mr Evans asked as he covered his ears. Severus met Lily's terrified eyes.

"Someone's here," Lily commented.

"Who? One of his men?" Mrs Evans asked worriedly.

"The alarm was set to be triggered by someone with a dark mark. That means a Death Eater. They're searching the village for me," Severus confirmed, he'd known it was only a matter of time until it happened, but it didn't stop the shock he felt.

"But that doesn't mean they know where we are, does it?" Lily asked.

"They might have an idea which village, but they won't be able to find the cottage itself."

"What do we do?" Mr Evans asked.

"You need to either floo out of here now, or stay hidden in the cottage till it's over," Lily told him.

"We've had this discussion already, we're not leaving. They might leave yet, they might decide you're not here," Mrs Evans argued. Severus shook his head. They knew he was here. Regulus must have suggested it to Voldemort. The Death Eaters weren't leaving until they found what they were looking for.

Severus slipped his wand into his hand, casting whatever silencing spells he could think of to end the high pitched screaming alarm.

"That's better," Mr Evans said as the alarm fell silent again, though Severus had no idea if it was his doing or merely coincidence. Severus ran through to the hallway, opening the front door to see if he could spot the intruders.

Up the lane he could make out two approaching figures cloaked in black. Death Eaters. Voldemort himself by the looks of it, maybe this had seemed such a promising opportunity he wanted to actually _find_ Severus himself and not leave that joyous event to one of his minions.

Severus gripped his wand tighter, fighting the urge to run straight out onto the street and start firing spells at the monster casually making his way closer, wand held so delicately in his long fingers. But where was the snake?

"You're not going out there!" Lily said, her hand suddenly grasping his.

"Not yet," he confirmed. "We will have to go out soon, he'll summon the rest if he genuinely believes I'm here."

"I know, but the alarm would alert Dumbledore too, wouldn't it?" she asked.

"Mmm," he agreed. "So if the Order shows up, they'll know for definite that we're here," he added.

"So we wait for the next move then," Lily said, squeezing his hand hard.

"We wait," he nodded, squeezing her hand in return. They wouldn't have to wait long, the war was ending today.

...

Regulus had never been so terrified in his life. He really didn't want to be the one to suggest the place Severus was hiding. Though he had to admit, it made sense. It would mean that he avoided suspicion. The Dark Lord would never know he was a spy.

Regulus had been able to warn Dumbledore of two attacks – the one on Edgar Bones last week, and the one on the McKinnon's today. Bones had been home alone instead of with his family, and although Edgar had lost his life, his family were safe and none of the Death Eaters suspected there was a traitor. Regulus had been able to keep himself alive.

Regulus had gone with his cousin Bella to the McKinnon's, had seen the attack begin, there was nothing suspicious going on, the Death Eaters ambush of the Order members seemed routine enough. But he'd departed once reinforcements arrived, he saw his brother and Potter emerge, Sirius engaging with Bellatrix. He saw people on both sides falling, Order members injured, dead. It couldn't go on. The Order needed to have enough men fighting for them if they stood any chance of getting to the Dark Lord.

The Dark Lord had been momentarily shocked to find Regulus return to him alone. His Master was not pleased, he believed he'd been fleeing from the battle. If he was believed to be a coward, he would be punished.

"My Lord, I believe I know where Dumbledore is hiding Severus Snape," he'd whispered, hoping this would be enough.

"Is that so? And do tell us how you came across this information," he'd ordered, stroking the snake's head as it lay pillowed in his lap like a twisted version of a beloved pet.

"My brother was at the attack on the McKinnon's, he became close to Snape during the last weeks at Hogwarts. I heard him mention Godric's Hollow," he'd explained hurriedly, desperately hoping he would avoid the Dark Lord's Legilimency. Hopefully the prospect of finding Severus would make him act rashly.

"Godric's Hollow?" he'd said, his expression thoughtful. "How very like Dumbledore, not at all subtle," he'd mused. Regulus kept his eyes lowered as he knelt before him playing the dutiful servant. "The King of Gryffindor's hiding his champion in the birthplace of Godric himself," he sneered. The Dark Lord rose from his hideous throne-like chair, stepping from the raised dais, Nagini slithering by his feet hissing softly. The Dark Lord chuckled, hissing in return. "Come, Regulus. If you are correct, you will be my most rewarded follower," he promised. _More lies._

"My Lord is most generous," Regulus had grovelled, before standing and falling into step behind his master.

Moments later and they were stood in the middle of the peaceful street, pretty cottages dotted about, the crystal clear sky above them was a stark contrast to the dark musty dungeon they'd just left behind. Regulus followed as the Dark Lord stepped slowly down the gentle hill, Nagini had moved off into the shade of a tree, obviously keen to keep her sensitive belly off the hot pavement in the midday sun.

"Do you feel it, Regulus?" the Dark Lord asked, practically humming with anticipation. "The boy is here and Dumbledore and his army are busy fighting elsewhere. I will find him today and the foolish old man will be able to do nothing at all," he said as he continued his slow walk down the street. Regulus glanced around cautiously, hoping to catch a glimpse of Severus or anyone else. He wished he'd been told the exact address, he'd be able to get a 'head's up' on what was about to happen.

"Severus," the Dark Lord called mockingly. "It's time to come out now. I will find you, Severus, and I will kill you," he taunted, aiming his wand at the cottage they now stood in front of, sending a powerful blast. The doors and windows blew outwards in a spray of glass shards that reached as far as the pavement. The house was obviously empty as they heard no screaming. "Come and face Lord Voldemort like a man, Severus! Stop hiding like a boy!" he ordered. Someone stepped out of the next cottage, an elderly looking wizard, his wand raised though he didn't stand a chance. " _Avada Kedavra!"_ the Dark Lord cried, the old man crumpled to the floor like a rag doll. "That life lost is your fault, Severus! Stop being a coward!"

Regulus flinched as the Dark Lord suddenly turned and grasped his wrist, relaxing only slightly as the sleeve of his robe was pushed up exposing his mark. His Master touched his wand to the skull and snake; Regulus grit his teeth as he waited. The Dark Lord smirked as he stepped back, waiting for his followers to arrive.

Within seconds the street was filled with black cloaks and silver masks. The Dark Lord already looked triumphant as he surveyed his men.

"My loyal followers," he greeted. "The boy hides in this village, we must draw him out. Destroy what you must, torment, _kill_ the residents, that will be sure to bring him out faster, unless he flees like a coward. Do not touch the boy, he belongs to me," he ordered. This was going to get very ugly. Regulus fumbled in his pocket for the charmed coin Dumbledore had given him, he needed to send him a message. His fingers clasped around the cold metal as he thought his message; _'He knows, we're here'_ hoping like hell that the Order were on their way.

The Dark Lord continued his slow walk down the street, Nagini still encased in the shadows, the Death Eaters following behind casually throwing blasting curses at the neat walls that had marked the garden boundaries. Some curses were thrown at the houses, one was set on fire, they heard muffled screams but no one appeared, hopefully they had the sense to escape via the back door and seek refuge in the street that ran along the back of the cottages.

...

Severus stood in the doorway, head peeking out, still hidden by the Fidelius, watching as the figures made their way closer to the cottage. His heart thundering in his ears as he heard a blast, the tinkling of broken glass landing on the pavement. Lily was gripping his hand tightly, terrified they would be found, and terrified he would go running out into the street.

"Stop hiding like a boy!" Voldemort's cold voice echoed. Severus clenched his jaw, squeezing his eyes shut tight when he heard him yell _"Avada Kedavra!"_ though he saw the jet of green light racing towards an unseen victim. His stomach lurched as he realised that an innocent was dead. "That life lost is your fault, Severus. Stop being a coward!" he ordered. Severus lurched forwards, growling in the back of his throat, his anger starting to bubble to the surface.

"Don't you dare go out there!" Lily hissed, keeping him in the house.

"I'm not a coward!" he growled at her.

"No, you're not," she agreed. "But you're not stupid! Going out there now is what he wants!" she whispered harshly.

"People are dying!" he protested.

"Just wait until the Order gets here, we can slip out and join the battle then. Where's the cloak?" she asked, he'd almost forgotten about Potter's cloak.

"Should be hanging up," he answered with a sigh, gesturing towards the row of pegs in the hallway. "But I want you to wear it, we can't both go under it. You wear it to get the snake, if I'm visible it'll distract Voldemort," he said. Lily opened her mouth to protest. "No, Lily, while the snake is still alive, anything else is meaningless," he said urgently. Lily released his hand then, stepping away to retrieve the invisibility cloak. The street began to fill with cloaked figures, he'd summoned the Death Eaters to try and flush him out with force.

Severus could see silver glinting off those evil masks in the sunlight, their black cloaks brushing the hot road as they strolled casually down the hill. Voldemort looked as though he had all the time in the world, not even reacting as the well kept walls were blasted apart in a shower of bricks and mortar, or as glass from shattered windows landed with a tinkle, or as a house went up in flames.

Severus couldn't wait much longer, the destruction was heading closer, death was approaching even though none of them could see the cottage. Voldemort could stand at the gate and see nothing. It should be so simple to take the megalomaniac out.

More _cracks_ tore through the air, echoing around the packed street like gunshots. People they knew, friends appearing yards away from the Death Eaters, desperately throwing up shields as a barrage of spells was immediately launched at them.

"Lily, it's time," Severus whispered hurriedly.

"It's time," she agreed with a tight nod. Severus grabbed her quickly, pulling her close, pressing his lips to hers in a desperate kiss, praying to any and every possible deity that it wasn't their last. "I love you," she whispered, blinking back tears as she pulled away from him.

"I love you too," he replied, his voice cracking, stepping back from her as she threw the invisibility cloak over her head. "Be careful, Lily," he added in a croaky whisper, fighting down the overwhelming urge to put her in a body bind and keeping her hidden in the cottage, anything to keep her safe.

"You too, my love," she whispered in response. A fluttering of air brushed his skin and she was gone, out into the street where flashes of red and green zipped through the air, the colours easily distinguishable even under the full glare of the summer sun.

"Severus," his mother's voice called as she ran towards him.

"I have to go, mother," he said urgently.

"I know and, I'm proud of you," she said quietly, quickly touching his cheek before retreating again. Severus couldn't respond, this wasn't the time. The adrenaline was already racing through his body, preparing him to fight, he was numb to all else. He did the only thing he could think to do, nod sharply as he reached passed her to grab a cloak of his own – a plain black one – throwing it over his head and shoulders before leaving the safety of the Fidelius for the last time, and leaving his mother in the doorway.

The endgame was beginning.

...

Lily moved quickly away from the house, worried that if she stayed near Severus much longer she would have backed out, would have done what she could to convince him to run with her, floo out of the house _anywhere_ , taking their parents with them and getting out of the country. Not that it would do them any good, they couldn't run forever. The fact that Voldemort and every single available Death Eater had shown up on their doorstep in less than a month was proof that they couldn't hide indefinitely.

Severus was not a coward, and neither was she, they were brave and they would fight because it was right. Fate had singled them both out for a reason. Trelawney had said he would win, she believed that, clung on to that belief like a lifeline. And for Severus to succeed, he needed her to complete her own task. _The snake._ She had to find it as quickly as possible. It had to be here somewhere, hidden in the shadows but close to Voldemort; he would surely want to ensure it was safe it was his final Horcrux.

There was already so much rubble on the street; she tried to keep the cloak covering her completely, though everyone was far too preoccupied with their opponents to look for her picking her way through the remnants of the walls. Lily's wand was still clutched tightly in her hand as her attention was split between her feet as they picked through the debris, and the fights that were taking place, keeping an eye for stray spells that may be coming towards her.

Lily crouched behind one of the piles of rubble, using it as a shield while she scanned the shadows for any sign of movement. It seemed so futile, the snake might not even be here. She tried not to cough as the smoke from the burning cottage across the road became thicker, blocking out the sun as it continued to pour into the once blue sky. Soon it would be difficult for any of them to breathe, they wouldn't be able to keep fighting here for long. Others nearby had started coughing, their voices hoarse as they continued to fight, their spells, cries of _'Expelliarmus', 'Stupefy', 'Sectumsempra' and 'Crucio'_ echoed in the street, more muffled than before, screams were heard as some of the spells hit their marks, the red of the spells not as bright as before, the colours faded and obscured by the ever growing smoke.

Lily could see Voldemort continuing to step casually down the street, his hood pushed back revealing his waxen features, his wand draped almost carelessly in his fingers as he journeyed through the fight, stray spells cast aside with a lazy wave of his hand. Voldemort stopped suddenly, turning in a slow circle with his wand pointed outwards; a wind blew through the whole area, Lily clutched the cloak tightly and pressed herself against the pile of bricks, worried that the wind would whip the cloak from her and reveal her to the numerous nearby enemies. The wind blew stronger for a few short seconds, taking the majority of the smoke away and into the sky, where it seemed to settle like a dirty blanket of clouds.

She had no idea where Severus was now, she assumed he was out here somewhere, there was no way he was still in the cottage, especially with her out here. He must be fighting without Voldemort realising, maybe he was obscured by rubble too, picking off Death Eaters from the shadows. She glanced around to see if he was nearby, she could see other Order members she recognised – Fabian and Gideon Prewett were fighting back to back with four Death Eaters circling them like wolves, she could hear James Potter's voice calling out spells as he fought off attacks. The majority of the Death Eaters were still masked, she had no idea who the opponents were. She could hear Bellatrix cackling delightedly as her curse struck someone down, could hear the screams of an unknown ally as they writhed on the hard pavement under the mad woman's Cruciatus. Bellatrix's cackling stopped as she yelled _'Avada Kedavra!'_ the screams of the Order member stopping in that same instant. Lily squeezed her eyes shut, the green of the spell trying to force it's way under her eyelids. She wiped away the tear she couldn't stop. She was too far away to intervene, too far away to see who had fallen, they were on her side, that was all she knew for certain.

Lily swallowed thickly, her saliva like a rock in her throat, making herself open her eyes again, needing to move elsewhere in search of the snake. She had to focus on her job, the longer it took, the more people died. She flinched as she heard a malicious voice calling _'Confringo!',_ and an explosion made the ground rumble, sheswallowed a scream as a woman's body landed three feet away in the rubble that concealed her. The Death Eater strode away in search of a new victim. Lily could see the woman was still alive, her eyes closed but her breathing shallow, blood trickling from a large wound across her temple, barely conscious as her head lolled uncomfortably on the broken bricks. Lily recognised her from the Order meetings and from Hogwarts – Marlene McKinnon, she'd been in Gryffindor a few years ahead of her. Lily had to help her. She glanced quickly around to make sure she wasn't spotted before dragging Marlene further behind the rubble. Lily aimed her wand at Marlene's wound, healing it as quickly as possible, trying to ignore her anxiety and concentrate on fixing the woman's injuries as best she could. Thankfully the wound knitted back together, her other injuries seemed to be superficial. Lily muttered a 'thank you' under her breath as she turned her attention to the emergency potions, rummaging in the small sack she'd carried shrunk in her pocket, until she found the blood replenisher and pain reliever.

"Marlene," she whispered. The woman groaned softly and blinked. "You need potions," she added quickly. Marlene nodded, looking in the direction of Lily's voice, frowning in confusion as she was met with what appeared to be empty space.

"Wh-" she started.

"Shhh, take these," Lily instructed, thrusting the two vials into her hand. Marlene almost jumped with the shock when her hand appeared out of thin air.

"Lily?" she asked.

"Yes. You need to take those," she ordered again. Marlene nodded and did as she was told this time.

"Are you leaving?" she asked worriedly.

"No, I have a job to do," she answered. "Do you still have your wand?" Marlene rummaged in the rubble until she found it, holding it up. "Good. Now, I have to keep moving," Lily said.

"Lily, be careful," Marlene whispered.

"And you," she replied. With that, Marlene dragged herself onto her hands and knees, crawling slowly until the potions took effect enough for her to rejoin the fight.

Then she saw him. Severus. He was covered in a black cloak, the hood hiding his dark hair, but she'd recognise him anywhere. She knew his body language, knew his movements as well she would recognise her own. He was fighting against a masked Death Eater. Clearly no one else recognised him otherwise Voldemort would be in the Death Eaters place. There still seemed to be so many Order members missing – she hadn't seen Dumbledore, or Moody, she hoped that wasn't a sign that things were going badly.

"Stop hiding, Severus!" Voldemort's cold voice sounded. "It is time for you to face me and feel true power," he snarled. Severus continued his fight against the Death Eater.

A beautiful melody suddenly sounded, louder than the sounds of the battle, song that seeped into her very soul, giving her strength and determination. They were going to keep fighting. Phoenix song. The music grew louder as Fawkes flew closer, from the village, over the smaller fights, his gold and scarlet plumage standing out so vividly against the smoke covered sky. Fawkes streaked above, towards the cottage before veering off across the road towards the trees on the corner, never ceasing in his beautiful song. Severus sent a final stunning spell at his opponent, which sent him flying into another Death Eater, completely unconscious as he hit the tarmac.

Severus pulled the hood away from his face, standing in the middle of the street clutching his wand. Everything seemed to stop, falling silent for a fraction of a second, Severus' features full of determination before he turned and ran into the trees.

With a frustrated scream from Voldemort, the Death Eaters followed.

"I want the boy alive!" Voldemort shrieked as they tore after him, Order members too as the battle moved on. Severus was taking the fight away from the village and into the fields beyond the little wooded area.

Lily pulled the cloak tight against her and ran after them all as fast as she could through the trees. Now that Voldemort knew where Severus was, she needed to find the snake _now._

 **A/N – Huge apologies for the delay with this chapter, my delightful kiddiwinks are making it almost impossible for me to write properly (combination of summer holidays and germs). I know you're all eager to get to the final battle, but it was just too much to cram into one chapter – I didn't want to rush it after so much build up. The next 2 chapters are written in rough, I just need to get them typed up and edited, which will get us through the final confrontation, then there will only be a handful of chapters after to wrap things up. See you all soon, Leonie.**


	91. Chapter 91

Chapter 91

He'd thought the battle at the McKinnon's had been madness, but this was escalating into something else entirely. Everyone was now piling through the trees of a small wooded area that wasn't particularly deep. Death Eaters and Order members alike tearing through branches, the twigs clutching like fingers at their robes and skin. All in pursuit of Snape. Someone had found the village he and Lily were hiding in. Now everyone would fight. Until Severus had revealed himself in the wake of the Phoenix burning across the smoky sky, James hadn't known if they were here or not.

Dumbledore's earlier reaction told them this was the village, but whether Severus and Lily would join the fight was a separate question entirely. Though he hadn't actually seen Lily so far, and just like Severus she wouldn't hide. Well, hopefully she was concealed beneath his invisibility cloak, she'd probably need it to get close enough to the snake. How anyone was supposed to find a snake amongst all this was anyone's guess. It seemed like the proverbial search for a needle in a haystack. It could be anywhere, in the rubble, in the trees, the shadows, blending in and waiting to pounce catching victims unaware. Or maybe Voldemort just left the damn thing at home. Lily and Severus were convinced it had to be removed before Voldemort, he'd tied himself to its existence, surely Voldemort knew they would be looking for it, just like they'd removed all the other things he'd latched onto like a parasite.

The fight had already broken out as people on both sides spilled out of the trees and onto the rolling fields, arcs of red light flashed below as the duellers spread out. The scale of it was utterly ridiculous, and there still seemed to be so many Order members missing. Dumbledore had sent Moody to take prisoners and fetch reinforcements, but there'd been no sight of the Ministry joining them so far. And of course, some Order members were injured at the earlier skirmish and needed medical attention, they might not be in a position to re-join the fight now.

Sirius had stayed close by his side, the two of them attempting to fight in tandem against the Death Eaters, the same way he saw the Prewett's fighting together. But it wasn't easy. He and Sirius had sent Patronuses to Jess and Harriet, alerting them to what was happening, but he hadn't spotted either of them yet. Part of him didn't want Jess to come, it was dangerous and he wanted her as far away from Voldemort as possible, but she was headstrong and would always fight by his side if she had a choice. He guessed he must have a 'thing' for independent women, though his feelings for both women were very different. Lily had been outspoken and fiery, unafraid of anyone, and her red hair and green eyes had seemed so utterly unique he had been infatuated. But she had always been Snape's – of course his early animosity with Snape had only made Lily seem even more appealing. Attempting to 'win' her had felt more like a game. And it was childish.

His relationship with Jessica was nothing like that at all. True, she was strong willed and intelligent, but her nature was much calmer than Lily's. Jess' presence was warm and soothing to his soul, their debates had sparked something inside him, causing him to re-evaluate his thoughts and his views. He loved everything about her, and knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, however long that may be.

James sent a Patronus to Remus too, feeling more than a little guilty about doing so. It was a barely a day since the full moon had begun to wane, Remus was still exhausted and needed to rest. But they also needed wands _now._ The flashes of light were increasing, the yells, the screams became louder.

" _Stupefy!"_ James cried as he saw an Order member surrounded, his spell hit its target and the robed figure was thrown aside, another masked man turned to face him, sending a non-verbal spell which James barely blocked.

"Come on, Prongs!" Sirius called, and they ran down the hill, a flash of red zipped close to their heads forcing them to the ground.

" _Petrificus Totalus!"_ he heard Jess call, whether he liked it or not she was here in the battle now. _"Protego!"_ she cried as a spell was sent towards her.

" _Expelliarmus!"_ he shouted, swiftly followed by a " _Stupefy,"_ giving him enough time to reach Jess' side, allowing them to fight together. He looked around for Sirius who seemed to have vanished, though was quickly located as he heard Bellatrix's shriek as she came face to face with the 'blood traitor.' Soon he and Jess were outnumbered as five Death Eaters circled, with another one approaching them.

" _Sectumsempra!"_ the sixth one called. Unexpectedly, one of the other cloaked men fell. James frowned but quickly threw spells of his own at the others, getting one in a body bind. The apparently rogue Death Eater hit another with a curse, sending him to the floor. James locked eyes with him as Jess sent another of their attackers flying backwards. _Locked eyes?_ He was unmasked. Regulus Black. James opened his mouth to question him, but Regulus held a finger to his own lips before he turned and disappeared into the fight again.

A number of loud 'cracks' suddenly echoed around them, birds scattered in the distance. Alastor Moody had finally arrived, along with Crouch and six other Aurors with wands drawn, they didn't waste a second as they sent jets of light at the masked men.

"Take them down!" Crouch's amplified voice shouted. "By any means!" he virtually screamed. James didn't like the sound of that. If they started killing, they would be no better than the Death Eaters. No better than Voldemort. Where was Voldemort now? He hadn't appeared in the field, and he wouldn't have left now that he knew Snape was here.

"Stop fighting and bring Severus Snape to me," Voldemort's voice spoke above the noise, an insidious whisper that seemed to reach right into his brain. "Give me the boy and none will be harmed. So many Pureblood wizards fighting today; it is too great a tragedy. Every drop of magical blood is needed, give me the boy and no more will be spilled," he told them. Lies, all of it. Severus would only be the first death of many, he wouldn't let those who opposed him live, regardless of whether they were Pureblood, Muggleborn, or anything in between.

"Take them down!" Barty Crouch's amplified voice answered in response.

"You are all fools," Voldemort spat harshly, then the ground shook as something else approached the battle.

...

Lily remained in the trees, the last ones before the dip down the hill. The ground was beginning to shake with whatever was approaching now. It sounded like an army, marching in time. _'Thud... Thud... Thud...'_ came the heavy synchronised footsteps on the parched dry earth. She could see them approach, like a wave of cockroaches, voiceless but unceasing in their journey. Aurors shot spells as them as they neared, but they were undeterred, impervious to stunning spells, they kept marching.

Lily could see Voldemort, his hands outspread like some sort of grotesque puppeteer as he controlled the Inferi army, narrowed eyes and twisted smirk as he felt the horror of the fighters in the field below. Someone tried a cutting spell, but this had no effect on the Inferi, the bloodless bodies couldn't be stopped that way.

"Give me Severus Snape, or my Inferi will find him," Voldemort said chillingly. "Hand yourself over, boy, or you will see every one of your friends die before your very eyes," he ordered. The Inferi halted in their heavy steps while Voldemort waited for an answer. When no reply came, he waved them onwards. "You will regret this day, Severus," he whispered menacingly.

The Inferi reached for their victims with outstretched arms, bony fingers grasping blindly at whatever they could, bringing with them the smell of rotting flesh, pungent in the warm air of midsummer.

" _Globus igneus!"_ she heard someone call, a cluster of Inferi were blown back by the ball of fire. The surrounding Inferi seemed confused and uncertain, attempting to retreat away from the bright burning flames. Voldemort growled in the back of his throat, clearly trying to exert his control and get his army to maintain its position or advance on the Order.

" _Funem ignis!"_ another cried, a rope like strand of fire appearing from the end of his wand. He twirled it gracefully, the Inferi retreated further, back in the direction they had approached from. The flames took hold of one of the nearest Inferi, the stench becoming even more pungent. It was hard to keep her breakfast in her stomach, she was glad they'd been interrupted before they could eat their lunch, otherwise the nausea would have been too great.

The fighting resumed between the Death Eaters and Order members, Voldemort was mostly ignored as he stood overlooking the troops below. Two Order members had stationed themselves at the far edge of the field, between the Inferi and the battle, ready to keep them back with various fire spells.

Lily caught movement in her peripheral vision. Something dark. Moving. _Slithering_. The snake. It was close. She took a step towards it, clutching her wand, her blood rushing in her ears as she took another step, then another. Each step, she was closer to ending this.

Voldemort stepped down the hill as casually as he'd sauntered down the road. He was looking for Severus. He aimed his wand at the dry grass beneath his feet, white light shot from its tip and sped towards Severus, knocking any it touched away, sending them sprawling into the grass, Order members and Death Eaters alike. Until the light joined Voldemort and Severus, connecting them, tying them together, the same way fate had already done. Unable to move away, neither could remove himself from the binding light. Severus had nowhere to run now, and Voldemort was coming for him.

"We will end this now, Severus," Voldemort said, taking another step closer. Severus faced him squaring his shoulders, his face set with determination. But Lily needed the snake that was slithering towards its master. The snake hissed.

"What's that, Nagini?" Voldemort asked softly. The snake hissed again. Voldemort turned and stared straight at her as if the invisibility cloak didn't exist. Voldemort tutted, "Oh dear, Severus, it seems your Mudblood has decided to join you. Perhaps we should dispose of her first," he said. Severus growled, attempting to move away from the light. Bellatrix cackled. "Perhaps Nagini can deal with her," he whispered, before hissing at the snake again.

Then she was running, the snake coming for her. She tried to fire spells at it, but it seemed to have some sort of protection, everything bounced off like they bounced off a shield spell. Voldemort must be doing it. Voldemort chuckled evilly, "Foolish boy," he spat as Severus continued to send spells in his direction. Voldemort batted them away as if they were merely an annoyance. _How were they supposed to win?_

More spells were flashing about her as the fighting continued at an accelerated pace. She heard more screams as friends fell, she flinched when she heard Bellatrix's cry of _"Avada Kedavra!"_ That was the only spell she hadn't tried to use to get rid of the snake.

"NO!" she heard Sirius scream as Bellatrix's curse reached its target. Who had it hit? James? Remus? Harriet? A friend lost. She couldn't do this. The snake snapped at her again, its fangs barely missing her skin, instead catching her cloak and clothes beneath.

"Surrender to me, Severus," Voldemort ordered.

"Never!" Severus answered, more jets of light flying from his wand.

The snake was there again, poised to strike, determined to poison her with its fangs. In her haste, she tripped, falling, her wand dropping into the parched grass.

"No!" she muttered desperately, fumbling for the familiar length of wood. Fawkes circled high above, singing its song once more. With a blinding flash and a gust of wind, Fawkes was suddenly hovering in front of her, keeping itself between her and the snake. The snake hissed as it lunged at the Phoenix. Fawkes flapped, causing the cloak to billow around her; it felt like the time to cast it off. As she threw it aside, she caught sight of something metallic glinting in the silky folds of fabric as it lay on the ground. _A sword._ That definitely hadn't been there before. She grasped it firmly in her hands, and Fawkes disappeared in another blinding flash, the snake adjusted its trajectory to lunge for her again.

It was purely instinct that pushed her to swing the heavy sword upwards as hard as she could, the momentum carrying her as she saw the ugly snakes open mouth coming for her. The sword connected with its mark, cutting through the snakes neck like a knife through butter, its body fell to the floor with a heavy, wet _thud,_ it's severed head continued its flight away from her. Blood spattered across her clothes and face in clammy, sticky spots, there was a piercing shriek, the same death cry she'd heard when Severus stabbed the Diadem. She'd done it. Got the snake. She heard Voldemort's scream, he knew the last Horcrux was gone, it was just him and Severus now. Lily turned to face Severus, but before she could meet his eyes a streak of light connected with her body, her breath drew in sharply, eyes widening in surprise. She felt the sword slip out of her fingers as her limbs became numb, felt herself falling as her world turned to darkness.

...

Severus stood, rooted to the spot, helpless. He didn't just see that, it hadn't happened. Time seemed to slow down, he'd been sending spell after spell at Voldemort, trying to weaken him, hurt him, _anything_ to keep him fighting until the snake was removed. He'd been awestruck as Lily threw the invisibility cloak aside, her hair glowing like fire whipping around like a burning cape as her momentum spun her around on the spot as she swung the sword and decapitated the snake. The Horcrux had screamed first, then Voldemort had as he realised what had happened. Nobody saw who fired the spell at Lily, there was a flash of purple light, a split second of surprise that crossed her features before the sword dropped to the ground and she fell. He wasn't there to catch her. Couldn't save her. And he had no idea if she was dead or alive. She had to be alive. There was no other option. The spell was purple, not green, she couldn't be dead.

Voldemort's scream ended and he faced Severus with a snarl. Severus clutched his wand, breathing heavily.

"Your Mudblood is dead, Severus, join me now, or join her," he spat.

"You already know the answer to that," Severus growled in response, sending a stunning spell at him. Voldemort batted it away.

"Foolish boy, a prophecy is made and in your arrogance, you believe _you_ are the one to defeat Lord Voldemort," he mocked, sending his own spells. Severus blocked them with increasing difficulty. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord walks among us," he muttered sarcastically. "And _this_ is the best Dumbledore can come up with? Pinning the lives of every wizard on a pathetic boy, a worthless half blood who frolics with filth?" he said, chuckling maliciously. Severus growled in anger, sending yet more spells at him – cutting spells, spinning hexes, blasting spells. Voldemort continued to chuckle as he easily deflected them. "Dumbledore is a stupid old man, his time is over, my time is approaching and all will obey Lord Voldemort!"

"You're wrong! You won't control them, they will not serve you," Severus said. "Fear won't make people loyal!"

"Oh?" Voldemort said, looking amused. "I think you'll find fear will make people _very_ loyal. Unfortunately, you won't be around long enough to learn that lesson, but I am generous enough to give you a taste of what your friends will receive before they bow to me – _Crucio!_ " he yelled. Severus sank to his knees with the pain, fighting back the scream, he wouldn't submit. Voldemort chuckled triumphantly as he held the curse, Severus' eyes squeezed shut. He'd felt the Cruciatus before, but not like this. He knew the killing curse was coming, perhaps that was a good thing, the pain would end, Dumbledore would have to finish this job. He could join Lily... but... what if she was alive?

With a groan, he pushed back with a pulse of magic that threw Voldemort back a step. Panting, Severus got back to his feet.

"I see. You refuse to bow?" Voldemort asked, quirking what remained of his eyebrow. "Refuse to lay at my feet?"

"Obviously," Severus drawled.

"You could have been one of my greatest, Severus," Voldemort said, his voice dripping with disappointment, his name spoken with that unsettling sibilant hiss he remembered from the memories. "You held such promise, such a talent, such darkness in your soul."

"You're wrong. I was never dark. And darkness will never win!" he said firmly. Voldemort chuckled again.

"Dumbledore did well on that front, brain washing the perfect puppet, another fool who believes love will save the day – it didn't save your little pet, and it won't save you! It has made you weak, pathetic," he spat, his thin lip curling in disgust.

"The only pathetic one is you!" Severus retaliated. Voldemort was stepping towards him again, a step closer along the beam of light that ran between them. "And you know I'm the one the prophecy speaks of," Severus said as he took a step of his own. The two of them seemed to be locked in their own private world. The fighting continued all around them though the noise had faded into nothingness, but the only thing that mattered now was Voldemort. Only one of them would walk away from this. Voldemort flicked his wand, arrows appeared out of thin air and fired towards him, Severus raised a shield quickly, the arrows bouncing off and falling into the grass. Severus sent a ball of fire at the approaching figure, the flames appeared to engulf him yet he walked right through unharmed, a chilling smirk still on his face as he conjured ropes, Severus had to act fast to cut them before they could wrap around him.

"What makes you think you are worthy of prophecy? Of greatness? You will die today and you will be forgotten, just like all the others who have tried and failed to defeat me."

"He can uncover the secrets of the soul," Severus said quietly. Voldemort snarled. "I did that," Severus taunted. "I found your Horcruxes and have removed them all one by one and you had no idea," he grinned humourlessly. Voldemort roared, sending a rope of flames towards him, Severus conjured water, dousing the fire before it could touch him. "And you never even tried to work out what the rest of the prophecy meant, did you?" Severus asked curiously.

"The rest was nonsense," Voldemort said dismissively.

"Really? You either believe the whole thing or none at all. And if you _don't_ believe it, why have you wasted so much time on little old me? You're scared," Severus taunted.

"You really do think highly of yourself, Dumbledore's pretty words have inflated your ego. You will always be a worthless half-blood, son of a filthy Muggle –"

"That makes two of us then," Severus mocked.

"How _dare_ you," Voldemort spat.

"I know who you are Tom Riddle, and I uncovered your secrets. You won't be able to say the same about me," Severus said. A jet of red left Voldemort's wand at the same time Severus cried _"Reverti malus."_ The two spells collided, Voldemort's returned to him, hitting him in the chest. Voldemort stumbled, his wand slipped but remained in his fingers; he choked, hunched over but still on his feet. Severus stared at him as he lifted his red eyes in an angry stare. It was almost over, Voldemort had been weakened by his own spell. Severus had to kill him, there was no choice really, but he was still afraid. Scared of the damage it would do to his soul. A death on his hands, guilt on his shoulders. _"Perdere viribus,"_ he said as he aimed his wand at Voldemort.

"You are too weak to do it, Severus," Voldemort hissed as he drew himself up to his full height, seemingly unaffected by the last spell that hit him. Severus knew he was taking a risk using a spell he'd been tinkering with for the last few months. A risk he'd suspected it would always come down to.

"Time has cast judgment on his soul," Severus said softly. "I have already been judged, you have yet to be. You don't have to choose death, you can just be locked away."

"If you think you can subject me to either you are sorely mistaken," Voldemort laughed coldly.

Both men raised their wands.

Both men cried " _Avada kedavra!"_ at the same moment. A jet of green left one man's wand hitting the other in the chest.

Voldemort's body hit the parched ground with a mundane _thud,_ leaving Severus stood alone.

 _Check mate._


	92. Chapter 92

Chapter 92

After speeding up as they exchanged spells, time once again began to crawl agonisingly slowly, each heart beat seeming to take an age. And he felt numb. As Voldemort's lifeless body sank to the ground, the light that had connected them blinked out of existence, the air around seemed to crackle and fizz as an unknown energy died along with the madman.

Noise rushed back into his ears, flooding his brain will all manner of sounds. He hadn't realised how quiet it had become until the noise returned at full volume; Voldemort's spell had done an exceptional job at keeping the two of them isolated, he hadn't wanted any other wizard to join the duel. He'd wanted to remove Severus alone to prove he was invincible. Of course he had failed, for all the lecturing Voldemort gave him on arrogance, he'd most certainly become a victim of his own. Voldemort had believed his own words, believed he was the greatest, most powerful, and couldn't possibly fall to the

whims of a boy barely out of Hogwarts.

Severus took a step closer to where the body lay, the gentle breeze ruffling his dusty black robes, the dry grass crunching under his feet. Severus stared down at Voldemort's blank red eyes, his face empty and expressionless. _Dead._ Voldemort had wielded such terror, commanded others to commit such atrocities – in life he had truly been the most feared. In death, he was a man, no more or less than any other. Severus had done as the Prophecy predicted, he had vanquished the Dark Lord, he'd killed him a broad daylight while a hundred or so others fought around them. And Severus didn't feel the slightest bit guilty as he'd earlier expected he would. He didn't like being pushed into it, but Voldemort had made it clear that death was the only way out for whoever lost the fight. Voldemort had assumed he would be the victor, he underestimated Severus' desire to win – not because he feared death himself, but because removing the tyrant was the best option for wizardkind. Severus would not run from death when his time came. Voldemort had tried to run, tried to protect himself from that human _failing._ He'd wanted to make himself immortal and now his corpse was lying in a field, and he'd barely made it past the age of fifty.

Severus felt a hand on his shoulder, the pressure gentle yet firm; he glanced to find Dumbledore standing beside him. Silent, but there. Watching. Severus sighed, not knowing what to say. Neither it seemed did Dumbledore, as he said nothing, only squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. He became aware of Death Eaters gasping, he glanced across the field to see them falling to their knees, clutching their arms.

"They are aware that Lord Voldemort has truly been defeated," Dumbledore said quietly.

"Their marks?"

"Are dying with their master," he answered. Severus turned, seeing his mother crouched beside Lily. _Lily?_ How long had he stood there in a trance?

"Lily!" he gasped, suddenly dashing, dropping to his knees by her side, reaching to trace his thumb along her cheek, ignoring the sticky spots of blood that had spattered against her. Her skin was cool, and her lips had developed a slightly blue tint. He moved his fingers frantically to her neck, checking for a pulse. "Is she alright?" he asked in a croaky whisper, his fingers trembling against her smooth skin. _She had to be._

"She is alive, Severus," his mother told him, reaching across to tuck his hair behind his ear. Severus nodded, his breath leaving shakily, a heavy sigh of relief at his mother's proclamation; the fluttering of her pulse detected beneath his fingertips confirmed it.

"When did you come out?" he asked her as he continued to stroke Lily's cheek, pushing the strands of hair away from her face.

"When everyone ran into the trees, I was watching from the door. I followed in case I could help," she said as she rummaged through the sack of potions she had beside her.

"How much did you see?"

"I saw most of what happened. I stayed in the trees until I saw Lily remove the cloak. Did you know about the snake before today?" she asked curiously. Severus nodded. "I think once Lily has recovered, we will all be having a very long chat. I believe there is a great deal the two of you need to share with me and her parents."

"Mother –"

"But first, we need to get Lily to St Mungo's, but the anti-apparition wards are still in place," she told him.

"They will be removed shortly. Lily is stable?" Dumbledore asked. Severus hadn't realised he'd joined them.

"She's not getting better, but she doesn't seem to be getting any worse for the time being," his mother explained.

"Very well, let me know if that changes. I need to check on the progress of the 'round up'" Dumbledore said. Severus couldn't bring himself to care about any of that, he just needed to know that Lily would be all right.

The screams had stopped, there were no more flashes of light, no more torture, no more death. The Death Eaters were almost incapacitated by the fall of Voldemort, their dying marks inflicting pain on his followers. With Dumbledore's wards in place they couldn't Apparate out. Distracted, they were all quickly being bound ready to take to the Ministry. The wards would be dropped when all the prisoners were ready.

"Let's get her back to the house, we can floo to St Mungo's from there," his mother said. Severus nodded, moving to scoop her into his arms, he wanted to keep her close, wouldn't ever let her go again if he had the choice.

As he stood, he noticed the sword that had fallen at her feet, beautifully made and set with the most stunning rubies. The Sword of Gryffindor. It had presented itself to his beautiful lion, strong and brave and worthy to wield it. The lion had defeated the snake for him.

Ensuring she was safely secured in his arms, he turned and began the journey back to the cottage with his mother by his side, leaving the bloody sword where it lay in the grass, the snakes fat body and ugly open mouthed head a few feet away. It was time to let others handle the aftermath, he'd done his part and removed Voldemort, all that mattered to him now was Lily.

...

James wandered around the field, it was almost surreal. One moment spells were flying all over the place, and it was an effort to keep pace deflecting them from his opponents as he and Jess fought back to back. The next moment Voldemort was apparently dead and all the Death Eaters were clutching their arms. The barrage of spells had halted, and their enemies were easily bound.

He grasped Jess' hand tightly, his wand still held still held in the other as they roamed the field, searching the fallen Order members for survivors, searching for Sirius and Remus. He'd heard Sirius' scream earlier, he knew someone had fallen to Bellatrix's curse, he wasn't sure if it was Harriet or Remus, or maybe even Regulus. Perhaps his brother was fighting for the Light, maybe Snape had been helping him during their meetings back at Hogwarts – he'd always been mysterious about why they actually met – though in all fairness making public that he may have been considering attempting to leave the Death Eaters would have only made Regulus a target. Voldemort would have wanted traitors dead. Seeing the boy unmasked today, firing spells at his supposed colleagues told James all he needed to know about his loyalties. But had Bellatrix seen that? She wouldn't have hesitated to _remove_ him if he'd become a traitor, that wouldn't be tolerated especially for someone of her blood.

Thankfully as Voldemort died, so did the Inferi. The army that had been assembled and been trying to approach, fell. Voldemort's will left them, his spell ended, the Inferi again becoming empty corpses. The smell was terrible, the victims had been dead for varying lengths of time and were in various stages of decay. Most of the flesh had rotted away, leaving them little more than bone surrounded by thinning, grey skin. Some had been burned by the fireballs used to keep them back, which only added to the stench. At least those that had been attempting to control them could now turn their attentions to rounding up the Death Eaters.

James squeezed Jess' fingers as they continued to walk, they still hadn't spoken a word to each other. Physically they were both unharmed, which must be a minor miracle; apart from feeling exhausted and looking rather dishevelled they were fine. Mentally was a different point entirely, they'd seen people hurt and killed before their eyes, had seen Inferi coming for them, had had Death Eaters circling them like sharks.

They came across a body lying in a heap, wearing the dark robes and silver mask of a Death Eater. He wasn't moving. James swallowed nervously, gripping his wand a little tighter as he knelt by his side. He released Jessica's hand, feeling along the man's neck in search of a pulse. When he couldn't find one he pulled the mask from his face. _Wilkes._ He'd just left Hogwarts, just like him. Dead. His skin was pale and clammy, a grey tone already setting in. Had he fallen before or after his master? Had this boy known he was fighting for the losing side? Did any of the Death Eaters realise how foolish they'd been? The whole conflict could have been avoided, the deaths all seemed so unnecessary. James conjured a sheet, draping it over the fallen boy's blank features, just as he saw Order members doing for the others that had lost their lives today.

He could hear Dumbledore talking to Alastor Moody, telling him to get the injured to the cottage on the corner of the lane. James couldn't remember seeing a cottage there earlier, perhaps this was where Severus had been hiding. As soon as he found Sirius and Remus they would head over there themselves.

"The Fidelius has fallen," he heard Dumbledore say. "The cottage is now impossible to miss. There is an ample supply of potions there for any walking wounded, an open Floo connection for those that need to reach St Mungo's urgently," he said.

"And the girl?" Moody asked.

"Lily Evans?"

"Mmm."

"The Fidelius has fallen, but she appears to be alive. Severus left with her immediately," Dumbledore added sadly. "As soon as you're sure the surviving Death Eaters are bound, I will remove the wards so you and your Aurors can Apparate them straight to the Ministry."

"Right you are, Albus. I don't think we'll be much longer," Moody answered. Their voices began to fade as they walked in the opposite direction.

"Do you think she's alright?" Jess asked.

"I don't know," he answered helplessly with a shrug, the two of them continuing the search for their friends.

"I mean, if she's the one who cast the Fidelius, and it's been broken, then that mean..." she trailed off, fighting back a sob.

"Dumbledore said she was still alive," he countered, she couldn't be gone. What would Snape do then? He clearly needed her, he and Lily were a team. Snape would be lost without Lily, just like he would be if anything happened to Jess. "I guess that means she got the snake," he said, he'd never even seen it. He'd promised to try and help take the snake out, but if Severus had killed Voldemort, Lily must have killed the snake first. He hadn't seen Lily fighting today at all, but if she'd been hurt, she must have been; he could only hope she'd been under the cloak.

"You never did tell me what was so important about the snake," Jess said quietly.

"I don't even know that much," he answered with a sigh. "They just told me it was important, that You-Know-Who had used the snake as some sort of anchor, and that stopped him from dying."

"Do you really think that's the end? Of You-Know-Who?"

"Yeah," he said firmly. "Yeah I do," for whatever reason, it felt like it was. Lily and Severus had done exactly what Trelawney's words and prophecies had suggested. Voldemort's time was over. She glanced up at him, nodding. He hoped she believed that too.

They kept on walking, past Aurors who each had their wands trained on several bound Death Eaters – Frank was watching four of them, with Alice by his side, who looked relatively unscathed apart from a cut along her temple. Not long after, they found Sirius, they heard him first, could hear his quiet sobs. He and Jess exchanged a worried look before running in the direction the cries came from, finding him hidden by a dip in the field, with Harriet in his arms, her eyes closed as if in slumber.

"Harriet!" Jess gasped, dropping to her knees in front of their friends.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't stop her!" Sirius whispered. James blinked back tears, Harriet must have been the one Bellatrix took down in pursuit of Sirius.

"Oh my God!" Jess sobbed, reaching to touch her best friend's hair.

"I'm sorry," Sirius whispered again.

"You didn't do this," James said quietly.

"I sent her a Patronus," he said softly.

"And I sent one to Jess, Dumbledore told us to contact everyone we could," James argued gently.

"I was with Harriet anyway, if James had just sent one to me she would have known what was happening," she said through her sobs. It was nobody's fault but Bellatrix's, she was the one who aimed her wand and wished her dead.

"What a day," Remus' tired voice suddenly joined. James let out a huge sigh of relief, rushing to wrap his arms around his friend.

"You're ok!" James exclaimed, patting his back.

"I'm ok," he agreed wearily, nodding against him. James pulled away, holding him at arm's length, looking him over.

"Did you get hurt?" he asked.

"Not really, bruised ribs I think," he replied with a shrug.

"We should get you up to the cottage," James told him.

"Soon," he nodded. "Did you see any of what happened?"

"Not really. It's all a bit surreal," Remus admitted.

"You look exhausted, Moony," James said as his friend lowered himself gingerly onto the grass.

"I feel it. I was knackered to start with," he snorted.

"Sorry I brought you here," James said quietly.

"Don't be," Remus sighed. "It's over now, isn't it?"

"So it would seem," he agreed.

"Who... _hurt_ Harriet?" Remus asked, pausing over the word _hurt,_ he couldn't bring himself to say _killed._

"Bellatrix."

"Where's Bellatrix?"

"Dead," another voice joined the conversation. Regulus. Remus jumped slightly, reaching for his wand. "I'm on your side," Regulus said, holding his hands up in surrender. Remus looked suspicious. "I helped Sirius take her down. But I was on your side before that."

"He helped us earlier too," James explained. Regulus nodded in confirmation.

"Where are Evans and Snape?" Regulus asked.

"I haven't seen them at all, but from what I overheard, Lily was hurt and Snape has taken her back to the cottage so he can get her to St Mungo's."

"Is she...?" Remus began.

"She's alive, I don't know any more than that," James said. "What about you, Regulus?"

"What about me?" he asked with a frown.

"Does Dumbledore know you're on our side?"

"He knows. I was the one who told him Voldemort was here."

"So, you've been on our side for a while?" Remus asked.

"Mmm, you could say that. I've been working with Snape mostly."

"Of course you have," James chuckled, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Obviously Snape was involved. "Do the Aurors know?"

"I doubt it. If you don't mind, I'll wait with you until I can find Dumbledore."

"No problem," James answered. And it wasn't a problem. In a way, it was a relief, Sirius would hopefully have someone else to help support him and help him in his grief. And just maybe, Regulus would need the help of the Marauders, there was no predicting how his family would react. Orion and Walburga Black had already disowned Sirius for failing to follow the path they had set for him, and now Regulus had helped to kill his insane cousin and had turned against the Dark Lord they held in such high regard. Would they disown Regulus now too, even though Voldemort had fallen and Regulus had found a way to survive? Whatever happened, they would all need each other in the days to come, removing Voldemort was only a small piece, there was much more to work to do and it would be easier to work through it if they stood together.

...

Regulus ran a hand nervously through his hair as he glanced around the field. Every direction he looked there were people huddled together in pairs and small groups – Order members crying over their fallen colleagues, Order members protecting the dignity of their fallen friends and foes, covering them with white sheets or grey so they knew who lay beneath. Order members and Aurors were quickly subduing the surviving Death Eaters, not that any of them were putting up a fight, it seemed none of them were stupid enough to continue lashing out when their master was dead and they were clearly at a disadvantage.

Dead. The Dark Lord – _Voldemort -_ was dead. He kept running that fact through his head. He was dead. He would never return. Severus had won, he had done as the Prophecy said – and he'd never really believed that the Prophecy was anything more than a fantasy. But he'd done it.

Regulus sighed heavily as he sank onto the grass in the same area as the infamous Marauders – Potter and Lupin sat in a sort of stunned silence as they tried to take in what had happened, his brother was sat, silently cradling the limp form of his girlfriend, her best friend knelt in front of her, sobbing softly as she stroked the girls face. None of them could bear to cover her yet, they didn't want to entirely face reality, face the cruel fact that they hadn't all emerged from this final battle. In all honesty, he was surprised he'd survived, he'd been walking a precarious line for months. He'd expected the Dark Lord to find out when he began talking to Severus, telling him about Kreacher's treatment at Voldemort's hands, or when he stole the cup from Bella's house during that initiation event, or when he'd passed information to Dumbledore, or even when he'd fled the attack on the McKinnon's house this morning.

Somehow, he'd managed to avoid any suspicion from either his fellow Death Eaters or the Dark Lord himself. And just as surprisingly, he'd been able to avoid any serious injuries during the duels he'd taken part in – he'd been able to assist the Order and helped Sirius take on their lunatic of a cousin. He hadn't really thought about what would follow if he survived, he hadn't wanted to let himself dwell on fantasies. But he _had_ survived. And what next?

His parents would be less than impressed. Would they disown him? He hoped not, but they weren't known for being forgiving. They'd disowned Sirius for differing beliefs, and with his obvious change in allegiance, that would also tell his parents he believed the same as his brother. So being disowned was a distinct possibility. He just hoped that their desire for an heir would prevent them from actually doing it. Either way he was no longer the perfect son they believed they had. And what about the Ministry? Surely they'd want to lock him up for the rest of his days; he'd willingly taken the mark and pledged his allegiance to that madman, even if he'd only been sixteen at the time. Hopefully they'd take that into account when deciding his sentence, and perhaps Dumbledore would speak on his behalf to some extent – which is why he would rather see the Headmaster before he was taken by an Auror, if that was at all possible.

He rubbed his forehead tiredly, sighing again as he tried to spot the old professor. There were so many thoughts running through his head, so many uncertainties. Things were going to be uncertain for a while, and that thought unnerved him more than he expected it to. He shook his head, snorting, almost laughing as he thought to what he should be doing. He _should_ be enjoying the summer, preparing to return to Hogwarts for his final year to sit his NEWT's, attempting to decide on a suitable career path. What was he doing instead? Sitting in a field, surrounded by dead bodies and injured people, a line of bodies that fell with the Dark Lord – the corpses he'd turned into Inferi. Voldemort was dead and Regulus would have to wait to find out his own fate. Would he return to Hogwarts? Or would he be tucked away in Azkaban and left to rot? If he avoided Azkaban, then what? Who would ever want to work with a Death Eater? He sighed, rubbing his face again, torturing himself like this wasn't going to do any good at all.

"It'll be ok, Regulus," Potter's voice said quietly.

"I'm sure it will be, for most," he agreed. Of course it would, the Dark Lord was dead.

"It'll be ok for you too," Potter told him. "Dumbledore knows you're on our side, as does Snape, and he's just taken out Voldemort. You'll have two very powerful wizards in your corner," he added. Regulus snorted humourlessly.

"Two men who will have much more on their minds than me," he said quietly. Dumbledore certainly would, everyone in the Ministry would be requesting an audience with him in the aftermath, surely there were Death Eaters who weren't present today that would need tracking down, some that had held their positions in the Ministry to avoid 'outing' themselves. He would definitely have his hands full. And if Evans was hurt, Severus would obviously be by her side for the foreseeable future, and once word got out that he was the one to remove Voldemort, the entire wizarding world would want to know how he succeeded where so many failed. They would drive the poor bloke insane in no time.

"They won't forget about you, if you've helped the Order. And you'll have us, you helped me earlier, you helped Sirius. I think you two will need each other," Potter said. Regulus fought the urge to roll his eyes at the sentimental statement, though he couldn't ignore the accuracy.

"Perhaps," he finally answered.

"Is everyone alright?" a woman asked, approaching with her wand raised.

"No," Marshall said as she stood to face her. "Harriet, she... she's..." she sobbed, gesturing to her friend, still held in Sirius' arms.

"I'm sorry," the woman said gently. "We should get her up to the cottage, get her out of here," she said. Marshall nodded. Regulus kept his eyes lowered, hoping not to attract her attention. "The rest of you are alright?" she asked again, everyone nodded as she shifted her gaze over them all. His shoulders sank when he felt her eyes remaining on him. In his robes. _Death Eater robes._ With a flick of her wand, he was bound in ropes where he still sat on the floor.

Potter jumped to his feet in protest, as Marshall moved to sit on the floor again.

"No, wait, please! He's not one of them!" Potter said quickly.

"Not one of them?" she asked suspiciously.

"No, he's not, he's working for Dumbledore!" Potter said hurriedly.

"Dumbledore?" she asked, an eyebrow raised in disbelief. "I'm sure that's what he told you."

"Yes! Well, no... I mean," Potter rambled, sighing as he ran a hand nervously through his hair. "He's been helping for months, passing information to Snape while we were at Hogwarts. Right?" he asked, looking to Regulus for confirmation.

"That is true, Ma'am, but I can understand why it would be difficult to believe," Regulus stated calmly, not much point in getting wound up. The woman sighed.

"Please, just talk to Dumbledore first," Potter asked.

"I think Dumbledore is going to be rather busy at the moment," she told them. "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to take you to the Ministry for the time being."

"But he helped us! We were outnumbered and he helped us take down Death Eaters – hell, he helped take down Bellatrix!" Potter snapped, throwing his hands up in disbelief.

"Be that as it may, I still need to take him to the Ministry," she said more firmly. "You'll be interviewed fully, if Headmaster Dumbledore and Mr Snape are aware of your loyalties, I'm sure they'll speak on your behalf," she added more softly. Regulus had no idea whether she believed Potter's words or not, but at least he wasn't being dragged straight to Azkaban and handed over to the Dementors. Regulus nodded absently, glancing out over the fields, searching for a glimpse of Dumbledore, he was here somewhere, Potter had heard him talking.

Regulus could see Barty Crouch, the elder one, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, marching up and down the fields, moving from group to group, checking the Death Eaters they guarded were disarmed and securely bound, obviously eager to start shipping them out. Regulus wondered if all the bound men would be taken to the Ministry as the blonde woman suggested, or whether some would be taken straight to Azkaban, the ones whose guilt was more than obvious.

Regulus saw the old man frown as he pulled the hood back from one of the captured figures, saw him recoil as he saw who the Auror had bound, the hood falling to reveal Bart Crouch junior. Regulus shook his head, snorting in disbelief. Junior had been staying with Wilkes, he'd obviously brought him along when the Dark Lord summoned them. But how exactly would junior try and play this now? Would he claim it all to be a huge mistake? He had no idea his _friend_ would try and drag him into this war on the side of darkness? Or would he stand his ground? Admit his loyalty to his fallen master? He was wearing the robes of a Death Eater after all. Either way it wasn't going to do Crouch seniors political plans any good, he'd been extremely vocal about his desire to end this war and to lead the Ministry forwards, guiding the wizarding world with a strong hand.

Well, he'd failed to take out Voldemort – Snape had done that, with no knowledge or support from the Ministry or the Aurors. Snape had worked for Dumbledore's Order, surely that would lead to Dumbledore being offered the position of Minister for the umpteenth time. Crouch would never be offered that role now, the public hadn't all approved in his overall attitude in tackling Death Eaters – shoot first, talk later was never going to win everyone over. Legalising Unforgiveable curses for the Aurors had been more than a little divisive. His son even being accused of associating with Death Eaters was just another nail in the coffin, regardless of any proven allegiance.

Crouch junior was on his knees, shouting something at his father, Regulus couldn't hear what was said from this distance. Finally, Crouch senior turned on his heel, his dark robes fluttering behind him as he stomped off, away from the blonde haired boy in the grass, shoulders slumping. Perhaps he'd tried and failed to convince his father of his innocence. Regulus had a few memories he could share if necessary to show _Daddy_ what his son had been planning while away with his new friends.

He finally spotted Dumbledore then, his shimmering sky blue robes standing out among the sea of black, brown, grey and navy. Crouch senior stopped in front of him abruptly, arms folded across his chest as he spoke to the Headmaster. Dumbledore seemed to be quite relaxed, hands clasped loosely in front of him. Eventually, Dumbledore nodded and slipped his wand out of his sleeve.

"Aurors, ready your prisoners," Crouch senior's amplified voice echoed around the field.

"Let's get you on your feet then," the woman said, grasping him just below his elbow and pulling him to his feet. Regulus co operated fully, he knew this was always a possibility, at least the Auror taking him in seemed to be treating him better than some of the others. "In a moment, the wards will drop, take the prisoners directly to the holding level," the amplified voice instructed. Dumbledore moved his wand gracefully through the air, a faint shimmer could be seen in the distance as the wards came down.

"Here we go then," the woman said quietly, hand firmly gripping his elbow. Regulus said nothing as he felt himself pulled and squeezed as the Auror Apparated him to the Aurors holding area at the Ministry to await his fate.


	93. Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Lily gasped, her arms going to balance her as she felt herself falling. Only, she wasn't falling. _How peculiar._ She opened her eyes to view her surroundings, her brow furrowing in confusion. Everything had changed and she had absolutely no idea where she was.

She turned slowly on the spot, glancing at everything, hoping for some kind of clue to what was going on. Wherever she was, it seemed to be a perfect spring day; there was a gentle breeze that softly ruffled her dress, a blue sky above her with the puffiest of white clouds, and lush greenery all around – flowers, trees, shrubs, all with delicate flowers and new buds waiting to open. The path she stood on was white gravel, with thick grass either side. She could hear water, only faint splashes, which perhaps belonged to a pond or lake. The lack of birdsong though was unsettling, it made her feel so alone.

She'd left behind the hot, humid day, the dry field with crunchy grass, the smoke from the burning house and burning Inferi. But she'd also left behind her friends, they'd still been fighting. Severus had still been fighting Voldemort. _Severus had seen her falling._ What must he think now? She had to get back to him. Somehow. There had to be some way to get back, she was meant to be with him, by his side.

Then she remembered the purple spell. Maybe that had sent her here, she certainly hadn't left the battle by choice. Her only consolation being that she had done her job and removed the snake. But at what cost? She was hit by something just as she was looking for Severus to confirm the snake was dead. She'd been unarmed, her wand had slipped from her fingers when she tripped. All she'd had was the sword of Gryffindor.

Was she dead? She didn't feel dead, she could take in deep breaths of seemingly clear air, she didn't feel any pain anywhere, not until she pinched her arm in experimentation, which did indeed _hurt._ She hadn't been hit with the killing curse, the spell hadn't been green, it had been purple. She'd never seen a purple spell before, but it was definitely from a Death Eaters wand so it shouldn't have had any pleasant effects. Maybe she was trapped in her own mind, her body fighting the effects of an unknown curse while her mind fought to protect itself, keeping her sanity safe and intact. Maybe that was why she was alone.

She sighed before cautiously taking a step along the gravel path, it didn't feel as though there were any other options. Only two directions to choose from – unless she wanted to go traipsing across the lawns, and that felt wrong. No, she had to stick to the path. Forwards. Always forwards. One foot in front of the other, another step forwards, then another, the only sounds the crunch of the tiny stones moving beneath her feet, the rustling of her dress, and the faint rippling of water that she seemed to be approaching.

It didn't take long for her to reach a bridge, though it took her by surprise, hidden by a bend in the path, large shrubs and the overhanging branches of a weeping willow. She loved willows, they reminded her of the sanctuary she and Severus had created for themselves by the edge of the Black Lake. The willow always kept them safe, kept their secrets.

Lily gasped as the branches swished closed behind her, revealing the rest of the bridge, and the large pond it overlooked. It also revealed she was not alone in this place. There was a figure facing away from her, leaning against the railing, staring at the water's surface. She knew that man, knew him better than she knew anyone else. But he shouldn't be here.

She watched in silence, hardly daring to breathe, not really knowing if she should announce her presence. So far he didn't seem to have noticed her. So she merely watched, observed him as he shifted his weight, gripping the rails a he rolled his shoulders – perhaps an attempt to alleviate tension there as she'd seen him do numerous times before after being hunched over a cauldron or books for hours. He seemed so different in this place, his robes unlike any she'd seen on him before. They seemed heavy and very, very black, long and brushing the floor behind him. She glanced down at herself, she was still in the same blue dress she'd been wearing when the spell hit her. Why did _he_ look so different?

Before she could make herself known to him, he turned suddenly to face her, his face becoming even paler than it usually was, his eyes wide with surprise; for a split second she was convinced she could see the whites of his eyes surrounding the dark irises before he composed himself. Both of them seemed to take a deep breath before she began to approach him. He on the other hand, seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move or take his eyes off her as she made her way closer, his expression becoming guarded and uncertain as she stopped an arm's length in front of him.

Severus. But this wasn't _her_ Severus, she'd never seen him looking this way. He was much older here, creases marked his forehead and between his eyes from years of frowning, creases around his eyes from scrunching them shut. Obviously uncertain of how to talk to her, a woman who was nothing more than a ghost to him, a distant memory of the girl he loved. She tried to give him a small smile as he stared at her, his eyes flicking over her face, she didn't know if he wanted to hug her or run away. Or get on his knees and beg forgiveness for his sins. _The other Severus._ Just how exactly did she get here?

"Hi, Sev," she finally said, surprising herself with just how calm her voice was when her thoughts were tumbling about.

"Lily," he whispered, still unable to look away.

"How did I get here?" she asked. Severus sighed.

"That is the question, isn't it?"

"Am I dead?" she asked, though she really didn't want to know the answer. Well, she _did_ , but...

"No," he answered softly, shaking his head almost imperceptibly. Lily frowned, moving to stand beside him, leaning on her arms against the rails; Severus leaned back, folding his arms across his chest as he continued to watch her.

"How did you get here?" she asked, staring into the water below.

"I'm not entirely sure," he admitted.

"But... are you dead?"

"Most certainly," he confirmed, almost smirking as he did.

"That makes even less sense," she huffed, shaking her head. "So, you're dead, and I'm not, how are we both here then?"

"It's complicated."

"Isn't everything?" she countered. Nothing was ever simple in her experience.

"True," he snorted, she glanced up to meet his eyes and couldn't help but smile as he seemed to be attempting to suppress a smile of his own.

"So what _do_ you know?" she asked, he had to know something.

"After I died, I found myself here, with Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore?" she echoed.

"Mmm, he found there was a _connection,_ for want of a better term."

"He sent your memories back?"

"He did," Severus nodded.

"Have you been here since then? The memories started reaching him – _you_ – him, two years ago," she pointed out.

"Yes, I've been here since then, but time doesn't work the same way here, Lily. It hasn't been two years for me."

"Oh?"

"It's hard to explain, I honestly don't know if I can."

"You've not been waiting here for me have you?" she asked sadly. Severus sighed, turning to face the water again.

"Not specifically, I'm here until the universe _catches up,_ I suppose, until all the threads shift and realign again."

"Wrongs will be made right as the strands of time shift," she whispered. "The Prophecy?"

"Mmm. When all the _shifting_ is done..." he trailed off.

"Then what? You disappear?"

"I don't know," he said simply. "There could be two separate universes and I'll move on to where I'm supposed to be, or the universe I'm from could cease to exist."

Lily frowned even deeper, not answering that statement, she didn't know how to. Neither option seemed to give this Severus anything to look forward to. Option one, he'd be trapped in an afterlife potentially alone. Option two, it would be like he never existed.

"Thank you," she whispered softly, meeting his confused eyes again. "For sending the memories back. It's changed so much, for me, for _my_ Sev, the war. Everything."

"It would seem Dumbledore was correct, that my younger self would use them wisely," he said quietly.

"You didn't think you would?" she asked curiously. The older Severus sighed.

"I wasn't exactly one who trusted easily, Lily."

"True. You trusted me," she said. His face softened for a moment.

"The timing of the connection was fortunate," he said, as a frown marked his features again. "At least my younger self hadn't pushed you away at that point."

"Sev," she started, sighing. "What happened that day –"

"Was unforgiveable," he interrupted.

"No, it wasn't," she said calmly, "things were obviously difficult, things were said on both sides that shouldn't have been. Too many outside influences," she said sadly. She remembered how strained things had been getting before the memories started. Severus stared at the floor.

"There were. But it doesn't make what I said _right."_

"I never said it did. I only said it wasn't unforgiveable," she confirmed.

"I'm still sorry."

"I know."

"I've regretted it every single day."

"I know," she said gently. And she did know, she saw how horrified her Severus was by that memory, how hard it had been to eventually discuss it with her. "You were hurting and she was the one person you'd been able to depend on until then. People always hurt the one they love most," she added sadly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again.

"I know, and I understand. I think you've done more than enough to make up for that though, Sev," she said as she rested her hand on his elbow.

The two lapsed into silence, neither sure how to continue from that point. Severus turned around to face the water again, both staring at the light as it danced on the surface.

"What was that?" she asked, frowning as she though she caught a glimpse of figures moving in the water.

"The water shows things," he said simply.

"Things? What things?"

"The strands of time, as they settle again. The water shows glimpses of those changes."

"So it shows the future? How it differed from yours?" she asked curiously. His lips twitched, the corners quirking into a smile.

"I've seen glimpses up until the date I died in my timeline, but not beyond that point," he told her.

"Oh. How far ahead is that?" she asked, though she had a rough idea.

"I died on the 2nd of May 1998."

"You've seen the next twenty years?"

"Glimpses."

"Is he happy in twenty years time?" she asked him.

"Deliriously," he smirked.

"With me?" she asked, frowning as sudden rush of insecurity arose.

"Where else would he be?" he posed. She couldn't help but grin with that knowledge.

"Do we have children?" she asked excitedly. Severus rolled his eyes though he was clearly amused.

"Perhaps," he teased. Lily groaned.

"How many? Do we have boys or girls?"

"Lily," he said. "Do you really want me to answer?" he asked more seriously. She turned her attention back to the water and the shadowy figure of Severus sitting beside a hospital bed, holding her hand in his.

"No," she answered, shaking her head. "I don't need to know that right now," she added. She didn't need to know that, no one was supposed to know everything the future held in store from them. For the moment, just knowing that she would return to _her_ Severus was enough. Knowing that in twenty years time they would remain side by side with a family of their own was a bonus.

She turned to face the other Severus again, he mirrored her actions, his face soft as he simply looked at her, taking her in.

"You won't be here for much longer. He needs you," he said, inclining his head towards the Severus in the water. Lily nodded, torn between wanting to return to her own life with her Severus, and wanting to stay in the beautiful place with the other Severus. A Severus who had been through so much and all of it alone.

She couldn't stay here, and wouldn't, she didn't belong here. She took the final step towards him, closing the gap between them, and slipped her arms around his waist to rest her head against his chest. Severus tensed at the contact, clearly not used to hugs. Her Severus had been like that once. Slowly, his arms wrapped around her, but cautiously, like he thought she'd break if he embraced her too tightly. After a moment, his cheek rested on top of her head. Neither of them spoke, there was nothing left to say.

Both were content to stand and watch the water as the images flickered away again to once more show the reflection of the fluffy white clouds floating above. They would wait here together until time itself settled around them, and she would return to her place in the universe.

...

Dumbledore sat calmly in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, tea cup and saucer held delicately in his long fingers. Waiting. Waiting for what felt like an eternity. In the twenty four hours since Voldemort had fallen, he'd spent almost every single moment here at the Ministry – either in the Minister's Office with Harold Minchum, or in the Auror department with Barty Crouch senior.

Everyone had questions, of course they did, it was only natural for them to question yesterday's events and all that had led up to that. But there were no easy answers. Harold Minchum wanted to know exactly what decisions Albus had made over the previous months and years, wanted to know more about the Order of the Phoenix and the battles they had engaged in against the Death Eaters. As Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, he'd had a great deal more freedom to run his mission against the darkness.

And of course, he wanted to know about Severus Snape, the eighteen year old boy who had struck down Voldemort. He wanted to know how he'd done it. And he wanted to know why Voldemort had been so interested in him, and why Albus had sent him into hiding.

"I want to speak with the boy," Harold demanded, not even hiding his irritation.

"As I said before, he has other matters to attend to at this moment in time."

"You can't keep him hidden!" he snapped.

"I am not _hiding_ him, Harold. His fiancée was injured and is in St Mungo's, he is by her side where he belongs," Albus told him gently. Harold sighed. "I'm sure when Miss Evans wakes he'll be happy to answer your questions, but for now he should be left alone. He's been through enough, don't you think?" And not just in the battle, Severus' life seemed to be one thing after another that would test anyone, he deserved to have a little space for himself and Lily to heal away from prying eyes.

"The Wizarding world needs answers, Albus," he said with another sigh. "Reporters keep sending me owls, they keep coming to my door. They want to know how it happened."

"Of course they do. Our world has desired and fought to be free from the fear Voldemort and his men brought. For the moment, the knowledge that Voldemort is dead and the majority of his Death Eaters are either dead or sitting in your cells should suffice," Albus explained calmly.

"So what _did_ happen?" Harold asked, leaning forwards in his chair to rest his elbow on the desk, his chin resting heavily in his hand.

"If I could answer that, I would. As I told you, when I received word that Voldemort was in the village, I set up wards to keep the Muggle population separate and away from the area, and to prevent anyone Apparating away. I saw very little, and what I did see was from a distance."

"But you've spoken to the boy?"

"Briefly, but he needs some time."

"You've spoken to the others?"

"I have," he confirmed. "No one heard any of the words that were exchanged, Voldmort appeared to keep them in some kind of _bubble._ It seems as though Severus struggled to begin with, and Voldemort acted quite casually but became more distracted as time went on. Severus hit him with a spell that appeared to do nothing, but his next spell caused his death. It is still quite a mystery," Albus said with a shrug, setting his now empty tea cup down on the large desk.

"But it was the Killing Curse? One of the Aurors reported seeing a flash of green."

"So it would seem," Albus answered with a sigh of his own. "Not that he had a choice in the matter."

"Well no, of course. Anyone would have done the same. After all, You-Know-Who certainly wasn't one you were going to walk away from."

"Quite."

"It's just, so many have tried – Aurors, highly trained wizards – no one had given him so much as a scratch! The boy is eighteen! It's just hard to believe," he admitted.

"It is. But there is a great deal more to Severus Snape than meets the eye," Albus said fondly.

"If we had some answers it would stop the reporters making the ridiculous speculations you know they're just so desperate to make."

"Of course, I'm sure Ms Skeeter is more than a little eager to get that hideous quill to parchment as soon as she possibly can," he commented with a raised eyebrow. Harold snorted in a most undignified fashion.

"Don't get me started on that woman," he muttered, shaking his head. Rita Skeeter really could get under anyone's skin.

"For the moment, it may be best to play up to how many Death Eaters you have in custody, how many will shortly be brought to trial," he suggested.

"Well, naturally."

"And how we need to move forward together. Blood cannot separate us, it matters not. The Death Eaters have shown us that, we need to find ways of ensuring something like this never happens again," that was a major concern, as long as there were Pureblood members of society who believed they were the only legitimate wizards. Supremacist ideologies were always going to be flawed, and would always be doomed to fail. "Perhaps a reminder of Voldemort's heritage may encourage those that believed in his ideologies to think twice."

"Well, yes. It doesn't make much sense does it?"

"None at all," Albus agreed. "On another matter, I noticed that Regulus Black still appears to be in a holding cell."

"He's a marked Death Eater, Albus, he needs to go to trial!" Harold argued.

"He was sixteen when he was marked, at the request of his parents."

"He's still marked!"

"I don't believe he had much choice in the matter, you know how rigid the Black's are in their beliefs, they disowned their eldest son for daring to be sorted into Gryffindor," Albus said. Harold made some sort of noise of agreement in the back of his throat. "Shortly after being marked, he sought help. He gave us information – some of which was shared with the Aurors and led to Death Eaters being captured, and which led to weakening Voldemort himself. The last few weeks he has warned me of attacks – the plot to kill Edgar Bones and his family –"

"But Edgar Bones _was_ killed!"

"But his family were taken to safety. Edgar opted to remain behind. Regulus warned us of the attack planned on the McKinnon's, and when Voldemort arrived in Godric's Hollow, he joined Order members in battling Death Eaters - including his own cousin. He shouldn't be locked up, Harold, he has been an essential part of winning this war."

"Perhaps," Harold sighed, "but he will stand trial, on that I will not waver," he said, wagging his finger.

"Then at least hold his trial sooner, rather than later, I want him back at Hogwarts in September, he has NEWT's to earn," he said with a smile.

"I'll see what I can do, but Crouch won't like it."

"I'm sure he won't. And what of Crouch junior?" Albus asked.

"Obviously Barty is adamant he stand trial as a Death Eater, though he isn't marked and is under age."

"He is. He's washed his hands of him?"

"Essentially. He doesn't want the scandal, though junior maintains his innocence, says he was visiting a friend who took him there against his will. There's no evidence to connect him to any Death Eater activity, only being in the wrong place at the wrong time yesterday."

"I assure you it is more complicated than that."

"You think he's a Death Eater?"

"Aspiring to be one. I believe you should ask Regulus Black for more information, he may have a memory or two he's willing to share with you," he told him. He'd shared information with him back at Hogwarts after the attack on Lily Evans after all, sharing now would only help build a case for Regulus acting on the side of Light. Of course, Barty junior didn't deserve to be handed over to the Dementors, or locking up at all just yet. He was a sixteen year old boy angry at his father. The boy needed some support.

"Very well," Harold answered with another weary sigh.

"Excellent, now if you'll excuse me, I have matters to attend to at Hogwarts," he said as he rose gracefully from his chair.

"Hogwarts?"

"Indeed, much to prepare for the start of September," he said casually.

"Oh? Planning a few changes?"

"I am. In light of recent events, it's clear that there needs to be more emphasis on unity among the students, and less focus on separation – whether by blood or by House."

"Surely you're not going to abolish Houses?" Harold sputtered.

"Of course not, I wouldn't dream of attempting such a thing," he chuckled as Harold visibly relaxed.

"Good, I'm proud to be a former Ravenclaw."

"As well you should, but House shouldn't be what defines a person, it is only a small part of who we are. I believe starting with introducing Muggle studies as a compulsory course from the first year would be a step towards removing barriers."

"What about learning about Pureblood customs? Shouldn't it work both ways?"

"Perhaps more of a 'cultural exchange' course then, each student sharing something about their heritage. Students from all backgrounds may find they have more in common than they realised."

"It's going to be a big job, Albus," he remarked.

"It is, but we are now recovering from a war, we should do all we can to learn from past mistakes, otherwise we will surely be doomed to repeat them," he said calmly as he walked around to the fireplace.

"I'm sure you'll be stopping by St Mungo's too?" he probed hopefully.

"I will return there tomorrow to check on Miss Evans' progress. I will let you know when they are ready to discus yesterday's events."

"And I'll keep you posted on trial dates and times, obviously you'll be needed in the Wizengamot."

"Of course. Take care, Harold," he said quietly as he grabbed a pinch of powder and tossed it into the fire.

A moment later, he stepped back into his familiar office, Fawkes on his customary perch, his beak clicking against the cuttlefish bone. Yes, they definitely had a big job ahead, uniting the Houses wouldn't all be smooth sailing. There were so many prejudices that needed to be overcome.

He was glad to be away from the Ministry, if only for a short time, the next few months would be busy for the Wizengamot, so many trials that would take place. Some of the accused would walk free whether they deserved to or not, most would spend the rest of their life in Azkaban. Not all of the old ways would die out with Voldemort, he fully expected some of the arrested Death Eaters to convince the Wizengamot of their innocence – either because of their name, their connections, or their money.

Albus glanced at the sword of Gryffindor, he'd retrieved if from the field during the clean up once the Aurors had got the prisoners out. They had to return for the ones who had fallen. It had been strange seeing Voldemort's body covered with a grey sheet, his blank red eyes had been left open, forever staring at nothing. A short distance away had been the decapitated snake, fifteen feet of ugly reptile lying in the grass, the sword next to it, blood red rubies glinting in their settings, the blade covered with now-black blood.

It was getting late now though, it wouldn't be long before the fireworks began. There had been a few last night as rumour of Voldemort's downfall had spread, but tonight the celebrations would be far greater. For the moment, Albus was happy to remain in his office, keen to write down a few ideas for helping the school move forwards, while he waited to be summoned back to the Ministry by either Harold or Barty. And hoping for word from St Mungo's, letting him know Lily Evans had woken.

...

"I brought you some breakfast," his mother said as she entered the silent room. Severus didn't answer, didn't even really acknowledge her other than a quick glance in her direction before returning his gaze back to Lily's face. "You need to eat something, Severus," she said quietly.

"I'm not hungry," he answered. He was numb, he wasn't sure he was capable of feeling anything really. He'd spent two nights by her bedside, trying and failing to sleep, only managing to doze off from time to time. One of the healers had threatened to slip some sleeping draught into one of his drinks to force him to rest; Severus had shrugged it off and the healer had gone on his way.

When it was clear that whatever spell had hurt Lily had done something other than cause unconsciousness, she'd been moved to a private room. He was grateful for that fact for so many reasons. For a start, it meant that he could stay with her while she was healing – whether he was technically _allowed_ to stay or not, he didn't care, he wasn't going anywhere. Though, once word had spread that Voldemort was dead and _he_ was the one responsible, no one was going to force him away from her bedside regardless. At least he'd got her to St Mungo's before that news had begun to circulate, they'd been able to slip into the hospital and safely secluded in a private room, and avoided drawing extra attention, or creating some sort of circus with their presence.

Rumours of what had happened had begun to appear the following day as the Prophet was delivered to homes, reporters _guessing_ at events. The only bit of information confirmed by the Ministry was that Voldemort was dead. They'd reported that a large number of Death Eaters had been taken into custody, though a small number seemed to have slipped away, after managing to hide themselves. Of course, Severus was concerned they may attempt to seek revenge for their fallen master at some point, though they would be more likely to attempt to flee the country now that the Aurors were actively looking for them.

The healers that popped in and out the room to tend to Lily seemed to behave in differing ways towards him. A couple of them seemed to remain purely clinical, casting their spells for an update in her condition, dosing her with the number of varying potions she seemed to require, and saying little else to him, his mother, or her parents. Some of the healers attempted to make conversation with him, especially after the first night in there, they spoke of the fireworks let off in celebration now the war was over, that a number of witnesses had given _his_ name as being the one responsible for You-Know-Who's downfall. They were grateful for his efforts in freeing the wizarding world. Severus was not keen on their innocent, wide eyed asking of questions, and their words of gratitude made him feel uneasy. He'd only done what was required of him, if he could continue his life peacefully and without notice he'd be more than happy with that. The other healers fell into the category of _dubious._ They heard the same stories from the Aurors who were in St Mungo's and couldn't quite believe that this quiet, frowning eighteen year old _boy_ had removed the Dark Lord's power. Oh, they were perfectly professional in their care of Lily (which was the important bit), but he didn't miss their frowns of suspicion aimed at him. The _hero_ of their time.

Personally, out of the three main types, he definitely preferred the first kind. Clinical. Professional. And no small talk.

"You really should eat something, Severus," his mother said again. Severus sighed, he wasn't keen on the nagging either. "She'll be all right," she added.

"I know," he said quietly. That was something all the healers agreed on. Lily was getting better, slowly but surely. Her skin wasn't quite as pale now, her lips had returned to a soft pink, her breathing deeper and more even. But she still hadn't woken and it was now approaching 48 hours. Some of the healers said that was a good thing, while she was unconscious, her body was healing better than it would if she were awake. But selfishly, Severus wanted her to wake, he wanted to talk to her about everything they went through that afternoon. He wanted to talk to her because she was the only one who truly understood what he was going through. He wanted to tell her how proud he was of her, what she did, to tell her how much he loved her. And to tell her what had happened when he faced Voldemort.

"You need to get some rest, you could go home for a while."

"I'm not leaving her."

"She might not wake up today. The healers said it could be another day or two longer."

"I'm still not leaving," he said firmly. His mother sighed. "I will be here until she does wake."

"There were a lot more people milling about downstairs today."

"Reporters?" he asked with a frown.

"Mmm."

"At the more reason to stay here then," he stated.

"You will have to face them eventually."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not," he argued. Logically he knew he'd have to face them at some point, he wasn't stupid.

"It is all anyone talks about. That You-Know-Who is gone, and they know you're linked to it."

"I know. Some of the Healers have mentioned it."

"You will have to tell us, Severus. Me and Lily's parents at least."

"I told you, when Lily is awake and I've discussed it with her first. And I should talk to Dumbledore," he said. They'd exchanged a few words in the last two days and he wasn't entirely sure what he should or _could_ discuss. He was pleasantly surprised that Dumbledore had argued with the Minister himself, pushing for him and Lily to left alone. Even more surprised that the Minister actually listened. He was certain that at the very least an Auror would have been by to _request_ he give them his version of events.

"I saw Dumbledore downstairs actually," his mother said.

"Oh? Did he say anything?"

"Only asked if there was any change to Lily, and said he would be stopping by later today, he wanted to check on a few others who are here."

"Order members?"

"I believe there are a few who were admitted," she answered. Severus nodded, his eyes still on Lily's peacefully sleeping face. "He also gave me these to pass to you and Lily," she said as she placed something on the table beside Lily's bed. Severus glanced over to see two envelopes.

"NEWT's?"

"Most likely."

"I'll open them with Lily when she's awake," he said quietly.

He almost wanted to laugh at how absurd it seemed. If he'd been a _normal_ teenager he'd have been at home waiting for his results. If he'd been _normal,_ NEWT results would have been the most stressful event in his life so far. After everything that had happened, exam results seemed so insignificant, so small in relation to the stresses they'd faced.

He'd fought the Dark Lord and won and was waiting by his fiancée's bedside for her to wake and they could go on with their lives. Whatever their NEWT results were, life was so much bigger than that. So much was more important. Life. Love. Family. It would go on, for all the wizarding world, not just for him and Lily. _That_ was important. _That_ was why he should be proud of himself. The guilt of the memories, his father, the _other_ Severus, killing Voldemort, all of it, needed to be left firmly in the past.


	94. Chapter 94

Chapter 94

She wasn't entirely sure what was different at first. Things seemed to be changing so gradually, but she could tell it was brighter now, even with her eyes closed. Though the blackness had seemed strange after being in the other place. With him. Now, the light was increasing and chasing the darkness away.

Somehow, she knew she was back where she was supposed to be. It felt familiar. But she still couldn't quite open her eyes, her eyelids felt too heavy for that at this particular moment. She had to settle for waiting patiently for her other senses to return.

It didn't take long before quiet murmurs reached her, voices talking in hushed whispers, she could only pick out odd words here and there but it seemed too much effort to make sense of it all. The voices were familiar, which helped. Her parents. But where was Severus? How long had she been here? She frowned then, and almost jumped as fingers touched her cheek ever so gently.

"Lily?" his croaky whisper asked.

"Mmm," she mumbled, attempting to nod her head against the pillows.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

"Mmm," she mumbled again, she wanted to say more than that, she really did.

"Is she awake?" her mother's anxious voice asked.

"She's waking," Severus confirmed.

"Should we get someone? A healer?" her father asked.

"Yes of course we should," her mother said quickly. "Lily, we'll be right back, sweetheart," she added before she heard the door open and close with a 'click'.

"How long?" she finally managed to ask.

"Three days," he whispered. "Everyone's been so worried."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. It's all going to be ok," he said. "Can you open your eyes?"

"Trying," she whispered. "Tired," she added. Severus' hand found hers, squeezing her fingers. Finally her eyelids co-operated, though they felt puffy, but thankfully blinking became easier the more she tried. She managed to turn her head to face Severus more clearly, his own tired eyes were fixed on her. "Hi," she said as their eyes finally met.

"Hello," he answered, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards the smallest amount.

"You look exhausted, Sev," she whispered.

"That's because he hasn't left your side," a new voice said. She hadn't even noticed the door opening again. "I'm healer Cropwell," the new person introduced herself, Lily flicked her eyes to the woman in lime green robes and dark hair pulled back into a tight bun. "One of many who have been monitoring you for the last three days."

"I see," was all Lily could say.

"We're still not entirely sure what spell you were hit by, but we've been able to treat the effects with a steady supply of potions," she explained. "Now, I'd like to run a quick diagnostic, if I may."

"Ok," Lily nodded, watching as the woman withdrew her wand and waved it over her, muttering softly.

"Excellent," she declared, "you seem to be progressing rather nicely. Obviously, the fact you're now conscious is an excellent start, and there doesn't seem to be any sign of permanent damage. I'm sure you feel more than a little achy but that should improve over the next few days. I have more potions for you now, which should help you feel a bit more awake and a touch stronger," she said as she set six different vials on her bedside table. Lily didn't ask what they all were, no doubt Severus already knew seeing as he'd never left her side. "I shall leave you for now then, I'll be back to check on you in an hour or so."

"Thank you," Lily said, attempting a smile. The healer nodded politely before turning and leaving the room, her green robes fluttering behind her.

"Let's get these potions in you," Severus said, moving to sit on the edge of her bed, helping her shuffle up into a more upright position. He reached for the first of the potions, removing the cork and handing it to her. She was relieved to find her body was co-operating more the longer she was awake, and was able to take the tiny vial from him and swallow its contents without help. They repeated this process for the remaining five, before placing all the empty bottles back on the table.

Severus made a move to stand, but she didn't want him to leave her. She grasped his hand, squeezing his fingers, reassured by how much stronger she now felt. Slowly, he leaned forwards, brushing the softest kiss on her lips. She sighed at the feeling, that wonderful pressure of his lips against hers, so intimately familiar. It felt like home. She was finally home with _her_ Severus. The location was irrelevant. _He_ was her home.

Lily shuffled to one side of the bed as they parted from their kiss, making room for him to sit beside her.

"Will you sit with me?" she asked as his look became questioning. "I've missed you," she added. Severus sighed as he did as she requested, sitting beside her, swinging his legs up onto the bed over the covers.

"I've missed you too," he whispered as he slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close against him so she could rest her head on his chest. "There's so much I wanted to tell you."

"The battle?" she asked. She felt his head nodding in response.

"I did it. What the prophecy said," he whispered as he stroked her arm.

"I knew you would," she said, draping an arm across his waist. "I'm so proud of you," she said quietly.

"I'm proud of you too. I couldn't have done it without you," he said, pressing a kiss against her head.

"So he's really gone?"

"He's really gone," he confirmed. Just like that. No Voldemort. The door opened again as her parents came bustling back in, her mother rushing to her side of the bed. Lily pulled herself away from Severus' arms, letting her mum hug her tightly and kiss her cheek.

"Oh my, Lily, I'm so relieved you're awake!" she exclaimed, cupping her face with both hands, before kissing her again.

"So am I," she admitted, hugging her mum in return as she was pulled close again. Eventually her mother released her and moved to sit in one of the seats as her father took his turn in hugging and kissing her cheek, though in a less exuberant manner.

"Hello, sweetheart," he'd whispered as he approached.

"Hi, Dad," she grinned. Yes, she was definitely feeling better, especially now she knew her parents were fine.

Severus had moved from the bed by the time the hugging had finished and she could settle herself back against the pillows. She glanced up to see him standing beside the bed holding two envelopes.

"These came yesterday," he said as he handing one to her. She turned the envelope over in her hands, spotting the Ministry seal.

"NEWT's?" she asked. Severus only raised an eyebrow in response. "You didn't open yours?"

"I wanted to wait for you," he answered.

"Well, don't keep us waiting," her Dad ordered playfully. Lily and Severus exchanged nervous glances before turning their attentions to their envelopes. Lily broke the seal, unfolding the parchment inside, her eyes scanning over the results:

Charms: O

Transfiguration: O

D.A.D.A: O

Arithmancy: E

Potions: O

Herbology: O

She smiled as she read through them. Not too bad at all. Definitely high enough grades to be accepted onto the healer training programme. Severus looked pleased as she met his eyes again.

"Swap," she said, passing him her sheet, accepting his in return. She quickly scanned down his results:

Charms: O

Transiguration: E

D.A.D.A: O

Arithmancy: O

Potions: O

Herbology: O

"Sev, you did great!" she exclaimed, flashing him a beaming smile.

"As did you," he replied.

"Let's see!" her mother said excitedly, taking the two sheets of parchment from them. "Oh, well done, both of you," she told them. "Look, Richard," she said as she showed the results to her father.

"I suppose this means you're both sorted for September?" he asked.

"Yep," Lily answered, still smiling. It was strange really, recovering in a hospital bed after battling a giant snake, and they were reading through test results confirming that life would continue as _normal_ despite all they'd been through. She was rather eager to find out what _normal_ life was about.

"Well, I think we should go and fetch us all some drinks," her mother said. "Perhaps Eileen is in the canteen so you can share your news with her," she added.

"We'll be back soon," her father said as they both left the room.

"We should have waited for your Mum," Lily said.

"It's fine, I don't think she'll mind," he replied, moving to sit beside her on the bed again. He sighed heavily as he slipped his arm around her shoulder again.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Just thinking," he shrugged.

"About...?"

"How long it will be until we're wanted for questioning."

"Questioning?" she asked, confused by that statement.

"The Minister wants our version of events. Reporters want our version of events. I believe Dumbledore has intervened so far, as you've been..."

"Unconscious." She finished for him.

"Mmm," he mumbled.

"I can pretend to be if you like," she teased, glancing up to see him trying to suppress a tiny smile. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"Seems that way," he said softly.

Lily snuggled herself into his side again, more than a little relieved to be back in his arms. For the time being, it seemed they needed to be patient again, it would still be a little while until normality could resume. Though how much upheaval remained to be seen, they would just have to wait for Dumbledore to visit and the three of them would have to figure out exactly how to move forwards. She didn't know if she would share with them exactly what happened while she slept, telling him about the other Severus seemed strange, their exchange seemed private somehow. The idea of speaking of him felt like betraying his confidence – even if she was speaking to a different version of the same man, one who had already seen glimpses of his life.

It was strange, that short meeting could have told her so much about _her_ Severus' future. Could have told her about his career, his life, how many children they had, their names. But when given the choice, it was unnecessary knowledge. They could find all of that out _together_ , experience life _together_. All that mattered was that they _were_ together and they were happy. They had a future they had fought for, and now they could look forwards to it together. And that was enough.

...

Remus absently stirred the cup of coffee that sat on the table in front of him, hoping to dissolve the sugar as thoroughly as possible. The hospital canteen wasn't exactly the nicest place for meeting friends, but it was certainly convenient at the moment. A handful of colleagues from the Order were still patients here receiving treatment and numerous others were in and out to visit friends or receive updates on others. Unfortunately, to get in or out of the building meant fighting past reporters who were eager to overhear some gossip related to a war hero or two that they could pass along in some form.

No one had talked to the reporters that he knew of, and the reporters seemed to be making up all kinds of rubbish, publishing unconfirmed statements from those who wished to remain anonymous. All utterly ridiculous, and perfectly clear to anyone who had actually been in Godric's Hollow that it was nonsense. Not that that seemed to stop the Prophet from publishing such things.

Remus snorted as he scanned the latest front page, shaking his head at the claims, _'Of course, I was good friends with Severus Snape at one point,'_ the mystery person had said. _'I was convinced he would join You-Know-Who's forces – as did most of the school – with his obvious power and skills in classes, I'm more than a little relieved that he seems to have used his talents for the good of us all. Though of course, there's always a chance he'll get drawn to the power – he's removed one dark lord, who's to say he's not just lulling us all into a false sense of security and is going to take his place,'_ the statement continued. That was absurd really. _'He's always been a bit of a loner – though we did begin our time at Hogwarts as friends - he pushed everyone away over the years. Rather anti-social, he even refused to stay in the Slytherin dorms the last couple of years, managed to get moved to a private room...'_ Well, they got some things right it seemed, maybe the mystery informant was a former Slytherin. Whoever it was clearly had never been a _friend;_ Severus' only friend had been Lily. This person was either trying to worm their way into the spotlight, or trying to discredit Severus in some way.

Remus scanned down the rest of the rambling statements to the conclusion at the end, _'It is this reporter's belief that our view of Severus Snape needs to remain cautious at this time. So far, this elusive loner has failed to acknowledge any requests for an interview and the Minister has declined to make an official statement. All we know for certain is He Who Must Not Be Named is gone. Was he removed by Severus Snape? Are the rumours of a Prophecy true? Is the mysterious teenager fighting for what is right or has he merely murdered his biggest opponent before making his own bid for power? How does he have the protection of both Dumbledore and the Minister for Magic? There are far too many questions we need answering, I call upon the Minister to gain some proper answers for the Wizarding world.'_

Remus shoved the paper aside, not even bothering to read it in any more detail. _Bloody woman._ Though it was convincing, some people might actually believe that drivel thanks to the tiny shred of truth in there. Severus wasn't exactly sociable, but that didn't mean he was the next dark lord. Those statements sounded exactly like the kind James and Sirius would have made years ago, before they truly saw Severus for who he was. It wasn't fair!

"All right, Moony?" James' voice suddenly cut into his thoughts. Remus glanced up as he slid into the seat opposite.

"Mmm, load of nonsense again," he said, nodding towards the paper.

"What's she on with today?" James asked cautiously.

"Just reasons we shouldn't trust Snape."

"Elusive loner, hmm?" he commented as he picked the paper. "Sounds about right," he added with a raised eyebrow. Remus sighed. "Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist," he smirked. "So, when should we expect Snape to make his bid for power then?" he asked casually. Remus couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.

"Well, who can tell really? He's done such a good job pulling the wool over our eyes," Remus retorted sarcastically.

"Not just us, Dumbledore, the Minister, he's got them right where he wants them, hasn't he?" James grinned.

"Do you think he will talk to the press?" Remus asked more seriously.

"I suppose he'll have to sooner or later, won't he? Even if it's just to stop this nonsense," James said with a sigh, dropping the paper back to the table.

"Either that or he's going to have to get used to all the attention, which hardly seems fair after everything."

"Mmm. The war's over, thanks to him, and the press want to make out it was to clear the way for _him_ to take over."

"I know. People should be thanking him, not treating him with _caution,_ " Remus agreed.

"We should do something," James stated.

"Like what?" Remus asked.

"I don't know. We could release anonymous statements to the press, but I don't think that would really help much," James said. Remus nodded in agreement, any statements had the potential to be twisted to fit whatever narrative this _reporter_ had chosen for her portrayal of Severus' character.

"Maybe we should plan something fun for him and Lily, for when Lily's out of here."

"That could be good," James nodded in agreement.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," another voice joined.

"Mrs Snape," James greeted, quickly standing and offering her a seat. They'd met her a few times in the last couple of days. "So, what are you planning?" she asked as she slid into the offered seat.

"I'm not sure, we were just going to work on that," James admitted.

"I see. Well, I have a few ideas myself but will need some help pulling things together."

"Great, well count us in, we'll help," James nodded eagerly.

"That's very generous of you Mr Potter," she said with a small smirk, eerily similar to Severus'. "Now, her parents and I have several things covered, but if you're sure you wish to help..."

"What did you have in mind, Mrs Snape?" Remus asked quietly.

"Perhaps you could assist with catering?" she suggested.

"Like for a party?" James asked.

"Perhaps," she smiled.

"Or, maybe, like a wedding reception?" James probed.

"Perhaps," she smiled a little wider.

"Excellent," James nodded, matching her smile. "How many people will be coming?"

"Not too many, I haven't confirmed it with them but I believe they will wish to keep it an intimate gathering."

"Is there anything else you need us to help with?" Remus asked.

"Not at this moment, thank you. I'm sure Lily will take care of finding a dress with her mother, I will arrange Severus' dress robes."

"What about flowers? I'm sure Jess would want to help, and it might help take her mind off of..." _Harriet._

"Perhaps we should arrange a meeting for tomorrow to discuss that then," Mrs Snape agreed.

"Where will they get married?" Remus asked.

"At the moment I'm not sure, I know Lily's mother was keen on the church in Godric's Hollow, but I haven't discussed that yet with Severus and Lily."

"Well, hopefully Lily will wake up soon and you can ask them," Remus said quietly.

"Oh, didn't I mention? Lily woke up today," she said casually.

"Really? That's great!" James exclaimed a bit too loudly, drawing annoyed glances from nearby table. "Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly.

"Keep that information to yourselves for the moment, if you don't mind," she told them.

"No, of course. Really, that's wonderful she's awake, especially for Severus," Remus said.

"Naturally he's rather relieved," she admitted.

"Have you spoken to them yet? About wedding plans?" James asked.

"Not yet. I believe there are other matters they wish to discuss first, Dumbledore is with them now," she told them.

"Ah," Remus said. Obviously the little matter of the war to deal with first.

"I'm sure when that's all done with, they'll want to marry as soon as possible," she continued.

"Well that makes sense, Severus said things were delayed because of the war. Now the war's over –"

"They should do so this summer, before they go into their training programmes."

"This summer?" James asked. "When did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking the 5th of August," she answered quietly.

"That's just over a week away!" James exclaimed.

"Well, it gives them chance to enjoy summer as a married couple, doesn't it?" she commented innocently.

"Do you think you can pull a wedding together in a week and a half?" Remus enquired.

"I'm sure it can be arranged," she shrugged. "Naturally I will let you know any details as soon as possible so you can arrange the catering," she added.

"Yeah, we'll sort that, don't worry," James nodded.

"Anyway, I must be getting back. I will see you both tomorrow? I'm sure Lily will be allowed visitors by then," she posed.

"We'd be happy to visit tomorrow, Mrs Snape," Remus assured her.

"Definitely, I'll bring Jess too," James added.

"Wonderful," she answered as she rose from her chair. "Good day to you both," she added before heading away from them and out of view. Remus took a sip of his long forgotten coffee, almost spitting the now-cold drink back out.

"So that was weird," James said.

"Hmm?"

"We just got roped into planning Snape's wedding reception," James muttered.

"Well, you wanted to do something for him," Remus teased. "But yes, that _is_ weird."

"What's weird is that I want to bloody do it!" he snapped, shaking his head. Remus laughed.

"I'm sure stranger things have happened, but not many."

"I know!" James laughed. "I'll talk to Sirius and Jess tonight. Hopefully I can rope them into this madness too."

"I'm sure you'll drag them into it," Remus said as he cast a warming charm on his drink, not even sure why he was bothering, it had been fairly bad even when it was fresh.

"So we'll sort the catering arrangements," James began. "Sirius can sort the music or whatever entertainment it is they have at weddings, and Jess can help with the flowers."

"Sounds like you've got it sorted already," Remus chuckled. "Who are you and what have you done with James Potter?" he asked as he regarded his friend.

"I think this is me, Moony," he shrugged, running a hand through his hair nervously. "Is that ok?"

"Yes, that's ok," Remus assured him.

"Right, well, I'm going to get a drink, do you want anything?" James asked, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

"No, I'm good thanks," Remus said, indicating his half full cup of awful coffee. James nodded before hurrying away. It certainly seemed a peculiar turn of events.

The war had changed everyone it seemed, not just the fighting, but the build up and preparation before they left school. They all seemed so much older than eighteen, they'd left school less than a month ago, yet so much had happened. So much had been lost. But _more_ remained, changed, different than it was before. Their lives would be forever tinged by grief and loss, but this brought with it a new maturity and desire to stand together with the friends that remained. To build closer ties with their allies, to ensure their world wouldn't be divided again.

Planning a wedding for a man they were once certain was their enemy, would be part of that healing experience. Proof that there was still hope among the mourning, proof that life would still continue, love would make them stronger, and there was always something worth living for.

...

"We need to decide exactly what to tell everyone," Dumbledore said. Severus sat, watching the Headmaster from his seat by Lily's bed, Lily propped up against the pillows. He knew as soon as she woke the questions would start, he hadn't been naive enough to hope he'd be left alone after what had happened. But he still didn't want to face the enormity of what would follow.

"What do we _need_ to tell them?" Severus finally asked.

"The truth? What else could you tell them?" Lily asked softly.

"It's not that simple, Lily," Severus stated. "Of course people _need_ to know what happened, but not necessarily _all_ of it. If we're not careful it could lead to questions I really don't want to answer."

"The memories," she whispered.

"Preceisely," Dumbledore stated. "Now, the Minister has been quite _persistent_ in his pursuit of a statement from Severus, it's only a matter of time until he forces it through legal channels – trials are starting in a matter of days, Severus will almost definitely be called as a witness."

"A witness?" Lily asked.

"Regulus Black," Dumbledore answered.

"What happened to Regulus?" Lily asked, a worried frown marking her features.

"He handed himself in after Voldemort fell. Naturally, the Auror who took him in couldn't accept _his_ word that he was a spy – I will vouch for him myself, but he's had a great deal more contact with Severus over the last several months."

"And my word might actually mean something now," Severus said with a sigh.

"So, he's been arrested?" Lily asked. "Why didn't he run?"

"That would have only served to make him appear guilty," Dumbledore answered. "He is, for the moment, in holding at the Ministry, his trial will be held first – that is something the Minister has actually listened to me about," he added with some amusement.

"So who else is standing trial? Who... died?" Lily asked hesitantly. "Who escaped?"

"Are you sure you wish to know?" Dumbledore asked.

"We need to know, Sir. I don't know any of the specifics," Severus argued.

"Among the Death Eaters confirmed killed at the final battle were Bellatrix Lestrange, Marvin Avery, Igor Karkaroff, Boris Selwyn, Walden McNair and Charles Wilkes."

"So a few were killed then," Severus stated.

"Indeed, it was an intensely fought battle," Dumbledore acknowledged.

"What about the Order? How many did we lose?" Severus asked.

"We lost Angus McKinnon, Emmeline Vance, Dorcas Meadowes, Sturgis Podmore," he said sadly, "and Harriet Fletcher, among others."

"Oh no!" Lily sniffled. Severus reached for her hand, squeezing her fingers gently in support.

"I'm sorry, Lily," Severus whispered.

"Poor Jess. And poor Sirius," she said quietly.

"Was anyone else injured?" Severus asked.

"There are a few still being treated here – Professor Ainscott for one, though he should be being released tomorrow. Marlene was admitted for a short stay and was released today, as was Fabian Prewett. A couple of Aurors are still patients here, most others who fought sustained minor injuries which have mostly been healed," he told them. Lily nodded, wiping the tears from her cheeks with her free hand.

"But the rest of the Death Eaters were taken into custody?" Severus asked.

"It is uncertain whether we truly have them _all._ Rabastan Lestrange was not among the dead, nor was he arrested, neither was Thorfinn Rowle. It is safe to assume they were able to flee the scene, Aurors are searching for them, posters are in all public places offering rewards for information relating to their whereabouts –"

"Surely they won't stay in the country?" Severus interrupted.

"Highly doubtful. The Minister has spoken to our closest neighbours in Europe in case they flee there, and he has spoken with the Muggle Prime Minister – not that I expect them to hide in the Muggle world," he pointed out. Severus fought back a snort. No, Death Eaters would _not_ be hiding as Muggles, he was certain they would rather die than _lower_ themselves to that. "Also, we are unsure if any of Voldemort's spies in the Ministry kept their cover," Dumbledore said.

"There could still be Death Eaters working in the Ministry?" Lily asked worriedly.

"It is possible. We do not know how many spies there were, after all. Though, now Voldemort is dead they may just continue their work as before and be no further trouble."

"Or you could look at everyone's arms and look for the remains of the mark," Severus suggested. "We need to know for certain who can be trusted."

"True, but not all his men were marked, in fact I believe a great many of them weren't, which makes the trials that much more difficult," Dumbledore pointed out.

"So, back to what we can tell the Minister then," Severus said.

"I believe we will have to explain the Horcruxes – you've worked hard over the last two years to track them down," Dumbledore said. Severus couldn't help but reluctantly agree. He hated the fact that knowledge of Horcruxes could spread, but he saw little other choice.

"Plus, that was information Regulus gave to us, so that would help build his case too," Severus said.

"Quite. It also explains the snake and Miss Evans' actions in the battle."

"Even without that thing being a Horcrux, anyone would hack its head off when it's lunging at them!" Severus argued. Lily's hand tightened in his at the mention of the snake.

"In any case, it builds a bigger picture of the Horcruxes."

"What about the Prophecy?" Lily asked softly.

"The Minister is already aware of the whisperings of a Prophecy – as is Barty Crouch senior, who will be taking part in questioning during the trials – some of the Death Eaters were made aware of the Prophecy's contents."

"Are we going to tell him the whole thing?" Severus asked.

"I believe that would be wise, the Minister already believes we know the entire contents – if we volunteer that information it will be easier to avoid discussing _other_ factors," Dumbledore said with a sigh.

"But we won't necessarily be able to explain _why_ he chose me as the one the Prophecy relate to," Severus pointed out.

"True, but Voldemort wasn't exactly known for his rational thought processes," Dumbledore said with a raised eyebrow. "Some of it is fairly easy to explain."

"He can uncover the secrets of the soul," Lily said quietly.

"Indeed," Dumbledore agreed.

"But how are we going to explain my knowledge of the Horcruxes without mentioning the memories?" Severus asked.

"Perhaps discussing _overheard_ conversations that made you uneasy during the time you were becoming closer to your Slytherin dorm mates. You don't have to say precisely _where_ these conversations took place."

"I'm not sure he's going to believe that though," Severus mumbled.

"Well, perhaps it was Regulus approaching you with what he had discovered that was the beginning of the Horcrux investigation," Dumbledore suggested.

"There's also Dobby," Lily said. "He came to you with information too, he got the Diary for you."

"That's true," Severus agreed. "But won't that put him in danger if we bring him into this?" _If he hadn't been killed already by Malfoy._

"It may be wise to discuss Dobby during our interview with the Minister, he doesn't necessarily have to be called during the trials," Dumbledore said.

"Can't we get him freed?" Lily asked.

"It is possible, but we will have to move carefully, and there is always the chance he may not wish to be freed," the Headmaster pointed out.

"He can't _want_ to stay bound to the Malfoy's!" Severus argued.

"It may not be as simple as that, Severus," Dumbledore said sadly.

"So you think you can make this work? Without revealing the memories?" Lily asked.

"Whatever happens, Lily, I'm not discussing the memories with anyone again. It's done with now, we have our own future to create," Severus said quietly.

"Very true," Dumbledore agreed, "though it may be wise to at least mention them one more time."

"Sir?"

"Your parents should at least have some knowledge of what has taken place," he told them. Severus sighed, not entirely sure that it was a good idea. "So much has happened to the both of you over the last two years."

"I know," Severus whispered. "There were times my mother was suspicious about what was happening," he admitted.

"Your father," Lily said.

"Mmm. She asked me more than once about my dreams, and about how I was able to warn her about his death."

"I'm not suggesting you tell them every detail, but perhaps fill in a little of what started your journey," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Tomorrow we will meet with the Minister then, before the trials are due to begin," he told them. Severus nodded, there was no delaying things any further and the sooner the process was started, the sooner it would be over.

The trio exchanged _'goodnight's'_ before Dumbledore swished from the room, the door closing behind him with a soft 'click'.

Severus sighed, leaning against the back of the chair, Lily's hand still firmly clasped in his own. He knew their parents deserved to know something about what had played such a huge influence in his life, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to that conversation. It would be awkward at best. Some things in life he would need patience for, but this topic was best resolving quickly, now that he could. There really was no time like the present.

 **A/N – thank you all so much for your responses to the last few chapters, I'm so glad you enjoyed the final battle. Huge apologies for the slightly longer gap between updates, I'd hoped that once my children were back at school it would make things easier for me to write, but it seems the universe has been conspiring against me! I will do my absolute best to get the next chapter up in the next week, but these final chapters are proving more difficult to write than the lead up to the battle. I want to make sure enough things get resolved to end the story, but maybe one or two threads will be left open for the future...**


	95. Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Severus was seated in his customary chair beside Lily's bed. Waiting. Waiting for Dumbledore to collect him to do something he had absolutely no desire to do. Speak to the Minister for Magic about Horcruxes, the Prophecy, meetings with Regulus, meetings with Dobby. Casting the killing curse against Voldemort. And making sure the memories didn't enter the conversation _at all._

He'd spoken of the memories last night for what he promised himself was the final time. His mother seemed to take it all in her stride, looking almost triumphant in his admission that that was how he warned her of his father's impending death. She'd known all along that it was more than a _strange dream._ Lily's parents weren't quite as convinced. They appreciated that it seemed to explain the reason Voldemort assumed the Prophecy related to him, but they'd never been entirely certain of the legitimacy of the prophecy either. Not that he could blame them. He could only view Trelawney as some sort of rambling nutter. It was only chance that Voldemort had chosen to assign any meaning to it, it could just as easily have been ignored, written off as utter nonsense. Much to his relief, all three parents had agreed it was a topic that needed no further discussion.

And he didn't want to leave Lily, he'd been by her side since he brought her here on Saturday, eating whatever food his mother brought for him from the canteen upstairs, and making use of the private bathroom attached to Lily's room. Logically he knew she was fine after waking yesterday. Apart from still being a little more tired than usual, she seemed back to her usual self. Providing her observations remained normal today, she would be allowed home tomorrow. Not that he had any clue where _home_ would actually be. That detail hadn't been important while she was unconscious, though now awake he didn't really mind where they went from here. He would follow her, wherever she chose, he had no doubt about that. They really should discuss that later though, after he'd spoken to the Minister. He sighed heavily, tapping his fingers against his knee.

"It'll be fine, Sev," Lily said quietly.

"I hope so."

"It will," she said more firmly.

"I wish you could come with me," he admitted, reaching to hold her hand. Everything was easier to face with her by his side.

"I know. Hopefully this will be my last day in here though," she said optimistically.

"True," he agreed softly. "And you'll have company while I'm gone," he added. His mother had already told him she'd invited Potter and Lupin to _stop by._ She had been acting rather mysteriously the last couple of days, he had a nagging feeling she was up to something and that didn't bode well, particularly if she was involving the Marauders. He was really hoping that Black had forgotten he'd been promised his own nickname, he half expected to be called _Bambi_ at some point, thanks to his Patronus.

Just as Lily opened her mouth to speak, the door opened revealing Dumbledore in lilac robes complete with shimmering silvery stitching, looking far more cheerful than should be appropriate for what they were going to face today. Severus glanced down at his own very Muggle black trousers and charcoal grey shirt, promising himself he'd never wear lilac, not for all the gold in Gringott's.

"Good morning, Severus," Dumbledore greeted. "Lily, glad to see you're still looking well," he smiled.

"Good morning, Sir," Lily replied, offering a bright smile in return.

"Are you ready, Severus?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," he replied, giving Lily's hand a final squeeze as he rose from his seat, leaning in to press a chaste kiss to her lips.

"You'll be fine," she told him again, the look in her eyes telling him she believed that completely.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he said before walking away, grabbing his cloak as he made his way out of the door Dumbledore held open for him.

The two men headed down the winding staircases in silence, grateful that their chosen route was almost deserted. Perhaps it was the time of day contributing to that, it was barely even 9am, still a couple of hours before visiting time technically began. From what he'd heard from his mother, there always seemed to be a reporter stationing themselves in the tea room on the top floor, although they'd yet to approach either her or Mr and Mrs Evans, either they were a relatively new reporter and still cautious about approaching those they wished to speak to, or perhaps they were more content keeping in the shadows, jotting down bits of conversations they happened to overhear and making it fit the story they wished to sell.

His mother had also told him that reporters also kept watch in the entrance hall, openly watching as visitors came and went, and trying to snag interviews with Order members as they were released from the care of St Mungo's. Everyone wanted to know the story from those heroes who took part in the battle of Godric's Hollow.

Dumbledore paused as they approached the final set of doors that led to the entrance hall.

"We will be travelling by floo this morning, Severus," he told him quietly. Severus frowned as he looked up at him in question. "It is the most convenient way to reach the Ministry, though of course it leaves us with two locations for potentially being spotted by reporters. When I arrived this morning there was only one here, but my presence here may have already been divulged to others," Dumbledore explained. Severus sighed, not liking the possibilities.

"Are we able to floo directly to the Minister's Office?" Severus asked, though he was fairly sure what the answer would be.

"Unfortunately not," Dumbledore sighed. "We will have to floo to the Atrium and reach the Minister's Office via the lift. The Atrium is the other location we could potentially be spotted, perhaps not on our way in, but on our way out," he explained. "Now, once we get through the doors we'll head towards the desk, then to the right where the floo's are located. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready," Severus nodded, sounding more determined than he felt inside. Dumbledore gave him a small smile in response, nodded once and pushed open the doors.

Dumbledore guided him towards the floo by the Welcome Witch's desk with a hand gently on his shoulder, the two once again in silence. They made it half way across the entrance hall before their presence was noticed. At first, the Welcome Witch's eyes widened slightly in surprise as they approached, and swiftly followed was a voice he didn't recognise calling out to them, "Dumbledore! Could we have a moment of your time?" Their only response was to quicken their footsteps.

"I've already declined this morning. Honestly, I wonder how many times he'll ask before I Confund the chap," Dumbledore mumbled softly.

Severus glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, despite the man's twinkling eyes, he suspected he truly would Confund the irritating reporter if absolutely necessary.

"Almost there," Dumbledore said, gesturing with his free hand towards the lit fireplace. "Good morning, Florence dear, lovely day don't you think?" Dumbledore spoke to the witch sat at the desk, who didn't reply, only watched the two men with mouth slightly agape as the old man smiled pleasantly.

"Is that Severus Snape? Would you care to give a statement? Can you confirm the rumours?" the reporter's voice called, louder as he decided to approach.

"Go on, Severus, I shall join you momentarily," the Headmaster instructed, his voice still mild.

Severus grabbed a pinch of powder from the nearby pot and tossed it into the flames, watching as they quickly changed from orange to green before he stepped inside and called his destination, "Ministry of Magic, Atrium."

After a few moments of whirling, he stepped out of the grate at the Ministry. The few people he could see all seemed to be preoccupied, heads down, charging to their destinations. He pulled the cloak around his shoulders and over his head, obscuring as much of his face as he dared, trying to act as inconspicuous as possible as he waited for Dumbledore, hoping that with his black cloak covering his head he didn't get mistaken for a Death Eater. That wouldn't be fun. No doubt any lurking reporters would have a field day with that. He could almost see the headlines, _'Severus Snape, secret Death Eater attempts to infiltrate Ministry of Magic.' 'Severus Snape; Hero to Hooligan.'_ He snorted softly to himself.

Thankfully Dumbledore arrived swiftly, stepping neatly out of the same grate he had done just moments before.

"Any problems?" Dumbledore asked.

"None so far," Severus replied, shaking his head.

"Excellent, this way then," Dumbledore said, gesturing towards the far end of the Atrium. Severus took a deep breath and headed towards a set of golden gates. He couldn't help but feel his anxiety increasing as the number of people around him increased, everyone wanted to get through those gates to the lifts beyond. He kept moving as he felt Dumbledore's hand on his shoulder again, guiding him onwards. Their footsteps slowed as they reached the back of the queue, Severus' eyes were still fixed on the dark polished floor, convinced if he looked up someone would recognise him.

He almost held his breath as they passed the security desk, a visitor was having his wand checked by a bored looking wizard. Severus frowned, shouldn't he be stopping at the security desk himself as a visitor? Oh well, if they were questioned he would claim ignorance, he was with Dumbledore after all, and on his way to the Minister's Office.

The atmosphere around them seemed to suddenly alter, noisy voices seemed to change to hushed whispers as Dumbledore was noticed by those around them. No one seemed to pay him any attention though, and thankfully no one actually approached them, so he kept his eyes lowered and let the smiling Headmaster continue to move them forwards.

Soon they were through the gates and waiting for a lift to come rattling to a stop behind the golden grille. He and Dumbledore stepped inside once the grille slid aside, and Severus was more than happy with being guided into the back corner of the lift, neatly tucked out of the way. Once the lift was full it began its clattering ascent, none of the occupants spoke at all, they all seemed aware Dumbledore was among them, and none of them quite knew what to say. The journey seemed to take an age with no one saying a word, the only voice coming from the lift announcing each floor as it stopped for passengers to step off and new ones to occasionally step on along with paper planes fluttering above their heads. They were alone once they reached level 2, though he supposed not many people would have reason to come up here unless they worked directly for the Minster's Office. The lift rattled to a stop as the lift voice announced, " _Level 1, Minister for Magic and Support Staff."_

"Here we go then," Dumbledore smiled as the doors opened, stepping confidently off and onto a deep purple carpeted floor. Severus hurried after the Headmaster, stepping out just in time as the grille clanked shut behind him.

"This way, Severus," he instructed, striding off down the corridor leaving Severus running to catch up. "I believe the hood can come down now," he told him as they rounded a corner. Severus reluctantly pushed the hood back, revealing his face and dark hair; this floor seemed deserted, anyone who was here was tucked away behind mahogany doors with shiny nameplates. Dumbledore continued to lead them onwards, their footsteps near silent on the plush carpet, passing more doors until they reached the end of another corridor and a set of double doors in a much more intricate style than any they'd passed on their way here. The polished silver nameplate read ' _Minister for Magic, Harold Minchum.'_

Dumbledore knocked three times on one of the doors, which immediately swung open revealing a large rectangular office, with a large desk and a man stood behind it facing the opening door.

"Good morning, Minister," Dumbledore greeted pleasantly.

"Ah, Dumbledore," the Minister began. "And Severus Snape, I presume?" the man seemed to question. "Come in both of you, take a seat. I believe we have much to discuss," he instructed. Severus nodded and stepped into the bright, sunlit office, frowning as he thought they were still underground.

Severus sank into one of the chairs in front of the desk without saying a word, waiting for Dumbledore to take the seat beside him.

"Now then, where do we begin?" the Minister asked with a sigh once they were both seated. "There are _rumours_ about you, Mr Snape, whisperings of a Prophecy, that You-Know-Who chose you as his enemy, that _you_ could defeat him – that he decided this while you were still at Hogwarts. Which sounds ridiculous, given the fact that none before had managed to harm a hair on his head! Not Aurors, not hit-wizards, not Dumbledore! Why would he believe you would be able to do so?" he asked looking utterly perplexed.

"I have no idea," Severus answered quietly.

"I believe you do," the Minister sighed. "Obviously _he_ knew something about you, as everyone insists you actually _did_ remove him from power! Aurors saw you cast the curse that killed him!"

"I know," Severus sighed.

"So the question remains: _How_ did you manage to do it?"

"I don't entirely know," he admitted.

"You must have some idea," the Minister probed.

"Anyone could guess really," Severus answered with a shrug.

"From what I understand, the Prophecy spoke of someone with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord. He _chose_ you, and you did indeed _vanquish_ him."

"Well yes, but –"

"So what power is it you have?" the Minister questioned.

"I don't have any power! It was just something that happened. I did what I had to do because _Voldemort_ chose me! I didn't choose me for that particular task!" he all but snapped.

"But there has to be a reason for that!" the Minister argued.

"Now, Harold. I told you we would explain things, but it is a long story. Unsurprisingly, it begins with me," Dumbledore intervened.

"Naturally," the Minister sighed.

"You are well aware I have spent a great deal of time over the last thirty years or so, trying to 'keep an eye' on Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore began, the Minister tried not to flinch at each uttering of Voldemort's name. "I had long suspected he took steps to protect himself in certain ways."

"Ways? What ways?" the Minister asked, frowning as he finally took his seat, resting his arms in front of him on the desk, hands clasped together.

"Very dark ways," Dumbledore answered. "Horcruxes."

"Horcruxes? What in Merlin's name are Horcruxes?" he asked looking completely lost.

"The darkest, foulest of creations, Harold. It is a way of tearing off a piece of one's soul and housing it in a separate container to protect against death," Dumbledore explained perfectly calmly. The Minister's face seemed to pale as that information sank in.

"Protect against death?" he repeated slowly. "As in... immortality?"

"Precisely," Dumbledore agreed. "Naturally, it would have been highly dangerous to inform the Ministry of my investigations, should word have reached Voldemort that I was searching for his creations he would have moved them far beyond my reach."

"So you've worked in secret, tracking them down?" the Minister asked. "And you've found them all? Destroyed them? I mean, is he _really_ gone now?" looking more panicked with each question he uttered.

"Yes, Harold. I am quite certain all of his fragments of soul have been located and destroyed. Voldemort is gone permanently," Dumbledore said. The Minister let out a shaky breath, no doubt in relief at Dumbledore's reassurance, before leaning back in his chair, massaging his temple with one hand.

"Right, well, if you're certain," he finally spoke. "So what does Mr Snape have to do with this hunt? These Horcruxes?" he asked. This was where the questions would start to get tricky.

"I believe entirely by chance," Dumbledore began. "A disagreement with house mates, which led Voldemort to make assumptions based on guess work."

"So he had _nothing_ to do with it?" the Minister frowned.

"I didn't say that, Harold."

"Well, what brought the two of you together then? Besides being student and Headmaster."

"My house mates disapproved of the company I kept," Severus told him.

"Oh?"

"Lily Evans. She's now my fiancée, but before that we were best friends and had been since long before we went to Hogwarts. She's a Gryffindor and a Muggleborn, so in the eyes of a number of Slytherins, not one I should maintain any kind of friendship with. They wished for me to join them, in pursuing a place among Voldemort's army of Death Eaters."

"I see."

"When I made it clear to them that my choice was her, they were less than impressed with me. They attacked me, they attacked her – two of them were expelled for such attacks."

"Ah yes, I seem to remember something about that a year or two ago, yes?" the Minister queried.

"Yes, two of them used Unforgivables," Dumbledore confirmed.

"The Headmaster moved me to a room alone at the start of my sixth year as it was clear the group would keep attacking."

"So you were moved for your own safety?" the Minister asked.

"Yes," Severus nodded. "Even so, Dumbledore met with me to discuss any issues. As well as problems with some of the other Slytherins, my father was killed in my sixth year, so naturally it wasn't the easiest of times," he told him though he hated to do so, it was preferable to revealing the memories.

"I see, so the time you spent with the Headmaster was emotional support? Not war preparations?" he asked.

"Indeed," Dumbledore answered. "Voldemort's assumptions were based on those meetings, believing I couldn't possibly invest so much time in a student if it was not relating to the war."

"But, he wasn't entirely wrong, was he? I mean, the Prophecy –"

"The Prophecy only meant something because Voldemort chose for it to do so," Dumbledore interrupted smoothly, telling his half truth so easily.

"He heard a Prophecy and assumed it was Mr Snape because he met with you for emotional support?" the Minister asked, sounding dubious.

"In a nutshell, Harold."

"Right, so _his_ acting on the Prophecy is what caused you to take part then, Mr Snape?"

"Essentially," Severus answered. The Minister sighed again.

"You both heard the Prophecy?" he eventually asked.

"We did, we were both present when it was made," Dumbledore confirmed.

"Could you share it with me?" he asked.

" _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord is among us. Time has cast judgment on his soul. Wrongs will be made right as the strands of time shift. Memories dislodged from his future's past. He can uncover the secrets of the soul. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord walks among us,"_ Dumbledore told him. Severus kept his eyes fixed on the polished wood of the desk as he heard the Minister take several deep breaths.

"That sounds like _utter_ nonsense, Dumbledore," he finally snapped. "Time casting judgment, righting wrongs, shifting strands of time! Why on earth would anyone believe that?"

"Fear, I suppose," Dumbledore answered calmly. "I believe the reference to uncovering the secrets of the soul may have unnerved him and provoked him into taking action."

"Because of the Horcruxes?"

"Precisely. His biggest fear was death, he could not allow for any chance of someone discovering what he had done. The Prophecy stated that whoever could uncover his secret, would have the power to vanquish him."

"But what made him believe that person was Mr Snape?" the Minister asked.

"Because I happened to be present when the Prophecy was made, and because he knew I met regularly with the Headmaster," Severus answered. "He assumed I met with Dumbledore because I knew something about him."

"And how did he know of your meetings?"

"From those who were intent on joining his ranks, they passed messages to Death Eaters outside the school."

"I see. And the prophecy? How did You-Know-Who hear of it? He wasn't present when it was made."

"No, he heard of it through Augustus Rookwood."

"Ah yes, the spy in the Department of Mysteries."

"Yes, he Imperiused the Prophecy Keeper to take it to Voldemort, you are aware of that fact," Dumbledore said.

"Yes, yes, I remember it well. Terrible tragedy. You discovered he was a spy via an anonymous tip, correct?"

"Quite correct," Dumbledore confirmed with a smile. Severus shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Are you able to reveal your anonymous tipster?"

"Severus?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly.

"I gave Dumbledore his name," Severus answered.

"You? And how did _you_ come across that information?"

"Someone paid me a visit at Hogwarts. A house elf who works for one of the Death Eaters, he came to warn me that Voldemort had heard the Prophecy and chosen me, and that Rookwood had visited to bring the Prophecy Keeper."

"And you believed the word of a house elf?"

"Why shouldn't I? He had no reason to lie to us, it was a massive risk for him to come to me at all," Severus argued.

"What family did he work for?"

"The Malfoy's. Apparantly Voldemort visited the Malfoy's estate quite regularly," Dumbledore answered. The Minister sighed.

"You do realise Lucius Malfoy is claiming he was Imperiused by his sister-in-law."

"You do know he's lying," Severus pointed out. "He's only trying to buy his freedom," either with names or with gold, he had enough of it to bribe the entire Wizengamot if he desired.

"You know he's lying for a fact?" the Minister asked.

"He _is_ lying. He tried to recruit me while he was still in Hogwarts, had others reporting to him after he left, he treats his house elves so badly one was willing to risk his life to bring us information, and he was hiding one of the Horcruxes!" Severus snapped. "He was a _willing_ Death Eater!"

"He had a Horcrux? How did you find out?" the Minister asked curiously.

"Partly guesswork, "Dumbledore lied. "I'd spent years trying to piece it together, how many he might have made and where he might have hidden them, based on bits of conversations I'd had over the years with him, with people who had met him. It seemed logical to entrust one or two to his most devoted followers for safe keeping."

"And you shared this information with Mr Snape?" he asked suspiciously.

"Not exactly, no. Severus came to me after the house elf visited. Having taken a liking to Severus and having a desire to be rid of Voldemort, he returned. He brought a suspicious, dark item to him, knowing that Voldemort believed Severus was the one who could vanquish him. Severus then brought it to me the following morning. I told him a little about what we were facing, seeing as it was obvious would continue to target him. It only seemed fair, to give Severus a little more warning about what was to come," Dumbledore explained, still telling his half-truth so easily.

"I see. It seems that You-Know-Who led to his own undoing," the Minister commented.

"He certainly escalated the matter and sped things along," Dumbledore agreed.

"What about the other Horcruxes?"

"Those were discovered mainly through educated guesses," Dumbledore told him.

"Oh?"

"And there was additional help along the way, in the form of Regulus Black."

"He turned spy?"

"He did. As a cousin to Bellatrix Lestrange, and cousin by marriage to Lucius Malfoy, I believe Voldemort had high expectations for him. At his parents' insistence he was marked at sixteen years old, but only a few short months later he approached Severus with information."

"Why Mr Snape, and not you?"

"He had been informed of the Prophecy by his relatives, and that Severus was the target. It was logical for him to approach Severus, and easier to do so without rousing suspicion from his peers."

"And what information did he bring you?"

"At first he told me about Voldemort borrowing his house elf to test the defences around an object he wanted to remain hidden."

"A Horcrux?"

"That was our assumption," Severus agreed. "The house elf was tortured quite badly, that made Regulus start to question his loyalties. From then on he came to me with information he discovered about the other Death Eaters, where they met, tasks they were given, who was marked."

"This hidden object, did you find it? Was it a Horcrux?"

"It was. Yes, we recovered it and destroyed it," Dumbledore confirmed.

"Regulus also brought a Horcrux to us. He found an object hidden at the Lestrange's, I'd asked him to keep an eye out for it, after working out what kinds of things he was using based on the others we'd found," Severus told him.

"What kinds of things?"

"Historical artefacts, items linked to his family and to Hogwarts," Dumbledore answered.

"How many were there altogether? What were they?" the Minister asked.

"There was a ring he stole from his mother's family, a locket that belonged to Slytherin, Ravenclaw's diadem, Hufflepuff's Cup, his Hogwart's diary, and eventually his snake," Dumbledore said. The Minister was quiet for a moment.

"Six items," he whispered.

"Indeed. Based on previous conversations, he wished for his soul to be in seven pieces, that using a magical number would increase his power."

"And they've definitely gone?"

"Definitely. The first five items were destroyed by Severus and myself, the snake was killed by Miss Evans during the battle at Godric's Hollow."

"Did she know it was a Horcrux?"

"We'd warned her to look for the snake, yes. We needed to remove it before Voldemort was killed," Severus said. "Regulus told us when Voldemort acquired the snake."

"The snake seemed to actively target Miss Evans," Dumbledore said.

"Voldemort told to it, he wanted me to see her suffer before we were both killed," Severus said quietly.

"Well, it seems he was wrong about both of you," the Minister said.

"He certainly was," Dumbledore agreed. "The Sword of Gryffindor presented itself to Miss Evans in a time of need and she was able to overpower the snake. The destruction of the final Horcrux allowed Severus to remove him."

"It's certainly all very neat when explained that way," the Minister mused.

"What? You think it was too easy?" Severus snorted.

"No, no, not at all. It just seems miraculous that it was all stumbled upon, yet fit together so perfectly. Perhaps there was something in the Prophecy, I don't think Dumbledore involving you was _entirely_ to give you warning."

"I'm not denying Severus is an exceptional wizard, Harold. His exam results are almost all Outstanding, he has an incredible talent for creating potions and spells – he created that spinning hex some of the Order members have been using. It seemed natural to involve him, and I do not regret it for a moment," Dumbledore said. Severus pushed that strange feeling back down inside him, he still wasn't used to others sounding proud of him and his achievements, but he couldn't deny Dumbledore was.

"It seems your decision to trust in him was correct. If he's been able to assist with locating and destroying Horcruxes, inspiring Death Eaters to become spies, creating spells to fight against the Death Eaters."

"And brewed the majority of the potions the Order have been using for the last month."

"With Lily," Severus interrupted.

"And removed You-Know-Who," the Minister finished. "How did you do it? How did you manage to hit him with a curse at all?"

"Honestly, it was a bit of a gamble on my part," Severus admitted.

"How so?"

"I'd been experimenting with various incantations I might have been able to use to give me any sort of advantage. I was fortunate that it worked."

"You hadn't tested it before?" the Minister asked. Severus shook his head.

"He made it clear we were fighting to the death. A Killing Curse alone wouldn't have worked. Once his snake was removed I think anger clouded his judgment, in a manner of speaking. One of the spells I used almost acted as a mirror, reflecting his own spell back at him."

"And that killed him?"

"No, just affected him enough that he didn't shield the next spell I cast. He didn't care about it as it didn't visibly seem to have any effect. We both cast a Killing Curse at the same time, only nothing left his wand."

"Your spell, what was it designed to do?" the Minister asked quietly.

"To weaken his powers, reduce his strength. I had no idea if it would work when I cast it. It was a chance, the only chance, I had to take it."

"Remarkable," the Minister said quietly, watching Severus quietly. "So you _did_ have the power to vanquish the Dark Lord then."

I fought him because it was the right thing to do, I would have fought with or without the Prophecy." Severus argued.

"I meant no offense, Mr Snape. I mean, You-Know-Who didn't give you any option but to fight did he?"

"He didn't," Dumbledore answered. "And he has fought bravely during this war. He deserves our thanks, don't you think?"

"That's not why I did it," Severus mumbled.

"Perhaps not, but it is still deserved," Dumbledore countered.

"Of course. There will be a ceremony, once the trials are concluded."

"Ceremony?" Severus questioned, not entirely liking that idea, especially if it was turned into some _event_ , which no doubt it would be, given the circumstances.

"Naturally, something such as this warrants an Order of Merlin. However it transpired, you freed the wizarding world from He Who Must Not Be Named and his Death Eaters," the Minister stated. "Wouldn't you agree, Albus?"

"I would indeed," Dumbledore agreed with a smile.

"Does there have to be a ceremony?" Severus asked.

"Of course, the entire wizarding world will wish to thank you, and to celebrate."

"I'm not the only one who fought," Severus pointed out.

"Oh, you won't be the only one awarded a medal, don't you worry about that. I'm sure many Order members are deserving as well."

"That they are," Dumbledore said.

"And Regulus, he put himself in danger to bring us information, and in bringing us the Horcrux hidden at the Lestrange's Manor," Severus said.

"Regulus Black's trial will begin on Friday, Dumbledore has made it clear he wishes to speak on his behalf. I'm sure you would be willing to answer questions in his defence?"

"I would," Severus agreed, "though a trial hardly seems necessary."

"I will not yield on that point, he will stand trial – at the very least he willingly accepted the mark," the Minister said firmly. Severus felt himself sighing again. "However, if the facts from the three of you confirm his status as spy, and he is willing to work with the Ministry to provide evidence against the other Death Eaters then I'm sure his freedom will follow," he added slightly more calmly.

"He didn't know he was bringing us a Horcrux," Severus said. "Just that he was looking for an object that would help us get rid of Voldemort."

"Then, we'll be sure to question him about the object he removed from the Lestrange's, rather than ask him about Horcruxes," the Minister conceded. Severus nodded. "Well, thank for coming this morning, I'm sure Dumbledore will keep you informed of dates and times you may be needed. And I shall compose a statement for the press."

"May we read through it before it's submitted to the Prophet?" Dumbledore asked.

"Of course, make sure I have the facts covered," the Minister nodded.

"Come, Severus, let's return you to your fiancée," Dumbledore said. "Good day, Harold."

"Good day, both of you," the Minister nodded. The two men rose from their seats now they'd been dismissed, and headed for the mahogany doors, back down the corridors in search of the lift. He really hoped their presence still went unnoticed by the majority, hoped everyone was too busy working to see the two of them sneaking quietly out of the Ministry and back to St Mungo's.

He wanted to sigh with relief that that was over, and they seemed to have managed to convey a convincing enough story without so much as hinting at the fact they were hiding a rather large portion of what had actually transpired. They hadn't mentioned the memories. He'd done all he could do today, all that was left now was to wait. It always seemed to come back to waiting. Patience being a virtue and all that. He had to wait and see what the Minister would do next. Release a statement to the Press? Plan the trials? Plan a party so they could slap a medal on his chest? He didn't like the idea of a celebration one bit, though he couldn't deny the idea of being awarded an Order of Merlin was a rather appealing one.

Recognition for his skills had always been something he'd craved. Initially, he'd sought that attention in the wrong place; being ignored by his mother and abused by his father had left him with the warped idea that any attention was better than none. In close proximity to dorm mates intent on carving a name for themselves within the Dark Lord's ranks, and the evidence suggesting that Severus had the most brains and skills out of the lot of them, caused him to become a highly desirable future recruit. He'd enjoyed their attention, their desire to discover what he could do, denying Lily's suggestions that they were using him. Turning him into a tool. A weapon. Thank Merlin that all changed. He woke up and walked away after seeing what he would become.

The idea of finding acceptance in the Light wasn't something he ever thought he would have. Yes, this future was so much brighter than the alternative, thanks in part to the memories, in part to Lily, and in part down to his own work and determination to be a better man. He may have won the war against Voldemort, but he'd also won the battle with himself against his own demons.


	96. Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Lily was exhausted. Well, it went beyond exhaustion, physically and mentally. So much had happened in the short time she had been awake. Severus' meeting with the Minister yesterday morning had gone much more smoothly than either of them had anticipated, between him and Dumbledore they'd spun a convincing enough tale that he didn't suspect anything was kept back. Believed it enough to promise Order's of Merlin to those involved, gratitude from the wizarding world for their services to society. Of course, Lily was thrilled for him, that he was being recognised for all he'd done – not just killing Voldemort, but his actions with the Horcruxes, and his decision to trust other people enough to help him complete his _mission._ He trusted her. He trusted Dumbledore. He trusted Regulus, and the little house elf named Dobby. Hell, he'd even trusted the Marauders enough to request their assistance. He truly had grown, become a man before her eyes.

Severus didn't seem quite so thrilled at the prospect of an award. Not that he didn't _want_ to receive the Order of Merlin, it was obviously deserved; he had given so much of himself to the fight, why shouldn't he want to at least have that recognised or acknowledged in some way? No, Severus didn't want there to be a ceremony. He felt that he'd been under enough scrutiny as it was and being paraded around like a zoo exhibit was a less than appealing prospect. All it would do was invite yet more scrutiny. Severus found the Minister's acceptance of events quite amusing, he'd told her that he seemed quite happy to believe that Voldemort had been defeated through luck, timing, and his own poor choices. And Severus was quite happy for him to continue believing that, and to let the wizarding world believe that too. At least that way he'd have fewer accusations thrown at him about having _dark ambitions_ thanks to the power he had to vanquish him. Everyone was better off believing it down to luck, their belief wouldn't change what had actually taken place. Voldemort and his Death Eaters were gone and she and Severus knew the truth. That was all that mattered.

Lily had been kept busy while Severus was at the Ministry, that morning she'd had her first visitors, aside from her parents and Mrs Snape. When Mrs Snape had arrived, she also had Remus, James and Jessica in tow. It seemed as though plans had begun while she'd been sleeping. Plans that Mrs Snape had started to put together with her parents, and now they were enlisting the help of others. Plans for a wedding. Next Saturday. A little over a week. All of them excited and eager to help pull everything together in time.

Their enthusiasm was infectious, and if she was honest, she was grateful she was getting so much help with the planning; the more everyone talked, the more work it sounded. If Severus had been present for that discussion, no doubt he would be hidden in a corner, rolling his eyes or banging his head against the wall if he thought he could get away with it. In her state of recovery she was tempted to shut her eyes for a moment, feign sleep to avoid it, just for a little bit. Though it was certainly touching, how much everyone cared about them both; they were all there because they wanted to be and it really showed in their demeanours. The fact that planning a wedding gave them something else to focus on besides grief and loss was an added bonus.

Even knowing all this, there was still a tiny voice in the back of her mind that insisted that eloping was always an option, she could certainly see the appeal of it as they all happily discussed dresses, robes, colours, flowers, decorations, dinner choices, seating, music – the list seemed positively endless. At least she'd managed to keep them reigned in as their ideas became more elaborate. The wedding would be small, intimate, no one from the Ministry would be invited, apart from the wizard performing the actual ceremony, only close friends and immediate family members. She wouldn't have any bridesmaids, it would just be her and Severus, a simple bouquet, nothing big or fancy (much to Jess' annoyance). Mrs Snape would take Severus for his dress robes early next week, while Lily and her mother went to choose her dress. They didn't, however, settle on a location for the wedding. She knew her mother really loved Godric's Hollow and the church located up in the village. But Lily honestly wasn't certain it was the place for her. She didn't think it was really _her_ , or Severus for that matter. So that decision had been quickly shelved until another day, though of course it couldn't be left much longer with the date so close.

The rest of the day had been fairly peaceful, the visitors had ebbed away shortly after Severus returned from the Ministry and the afternoon spent in quiet conversation with him, his mother and her parents once they arrived after lunch. The wedding was spoken about more calmly without her friends' input, thought nothing else was actually decided. The healers had drifted in and out through the day carrying out their observations and bringing her potions, all equally pleased that she was showing no signs of a relapse in her condition.

That all led to her release this morning, five days after she was first admitted. She still had to take the potions for a few more days just to make sure, but hopefully by Monday they too would be a thing of the past. Naturally the healers had told her not to overdo things, that she could still relapse if she pushed herself too hard physically, but she had no intentions of spending any more time lying in bed than was absolutely necessary. She'd never get her strength back again if she did that. And her visitors yesterday hadn't only discussed the wedding they were planning, they'd also told her about the funeral taking place today. Harriet's funeral. No, there was no way she was staying at home in bed when she should be there with their friends, saying goodbye to the friend they had all lost.

Severus hadn't protested in the slightest, despite his obvious concern for her well-being and the worry over what others would say of their presence, he knew it was something she needed to do. Something they _both_ needed to do. Instead, he'd helped her get ready, though she was capable of doing it herself, she allowed him to do so, letting him reassure himself that she wasn't overdoing it. And she was perfectly content to have him close by her side.

The funeral for Harriet had been a sombre affair, not that funerals were ever a joyful experience, but so many people gathered to say a final goodbye to a girl of eighteen, a girl cut down on the battlefield by Bellatrix Lestrange seemed wrong on so many levels. Harriet was younger than her, only by a few months, but still younger. She'd only left Hogwarts a few weeks ago and now wouldn't have the opportunity to enjoy life as an adult. She wouldn't be going to train with the Unspeakables with Jess when September arrived. Jess was heartbroken, she and Harriet had been best friends since they were sorted and sat together for the first time at the Ravenclaw table. A friendship that had only deepened through the years, and helped by the fact that they had fallen for another pair of best friends. James and Sirius. Sirius was almost as heartbroken as Jess. He just looked broken. Withdrawn. Haunted. She'd never seen him looking remotely like that. He didn't cry like the other mourners did, his tears had already run out. Now it looked as though a light had been switched off, a piece of him was missing and would never return. And that tore at her heart more than the noisy sobs of others. It was too close to how she could imagine Severus looking if she'd never woken up. If _he'd_ been forced to say goodbye. She'd seen a glimpse of it in the other Severus' memories.

Severus hadn't said a word as they'd sat through the service, merely held her hand in his, his thumb stroking gentle circles against her skin. They'd listened as various people got up to speak of Harriet, her mother and father told those gathered tales of her childhood, told them of a girl with chubby cheeks and pigtails whose accidental magic first showed itself in a Muggle toyshop as she made the little wooden trains move around the track of their own accord. Fortunately the children around were too young to understand what had happened and their parents too engrossed in their own shopping to pay the moving train any attention. Jess too spoke briefly, before the emotion became too overwhelming, she told of all they'd planned to do together after the summer, and that she would now walk that path alone, giving it all she could to make Harriet proud, that she would have to complete the plans for the both of them.

They'd excused themselves shortly after the service concluded, but not before hugging both Jess and Sirius and telling them to owl her if ever they needed anything, or just wanted to vent somewhere to someone. She knew she'd be seeing them both most days over the next week or so as wedding plans were hastily made, but it still felt right to make that offer, that she would be there for their needs too. As any friend should be. Unfortunately they were spotted by the reporter who'd attended the service, obviously keen to get some details about the poor girl who'd fallen in battle and tell a tale of teenage tragedy. Catching sight of not only Severus, but her as well was far too exciting an opportunity for him to pass up. He'd hovered nearby as she'd hugged her friends, Severus glared at the man as he'd finally approached, causing him to guide her in the opposite direction and away out of the building, the reporters voice called after them, urging them to talk to him, give a statement about the battle, tell the wizarding world about slaying Voldemort. Severus had turned abruptly, reminding him they were at a funeral and show some respect for her family and friends.

After that, they'd Apparated straight back to the cottage and Severus had insisted she get into bed, to rest now that she had paid her respects. And she obeyed, her energy levels had been gradually dropping through the afternoon, the combination of exertion and emotional distress was trying when healthy, but in her state of recovery she felt it even more so. She quickly changed into her comfortable short pyjama's and climbed into bed, taking the potions Severus handed to her and drifting off to sleep.

Now, despite still feeling exhausted, she was again, awake, her thoughts seeming to run faster than usual and she couldn't switch them back off again. It was dark outside, so it must be late at night though she had no idea what time. Severus was lying beside her in the bed, almost perfectly still. She rolled on to her side carefully, not wanting to disturb him though she longed to snuggle closer and lay her head on his chest and listen to the steady reassuring beat of his heart. It felt like a lifetime since they had last slept in the same bed. She pushed herself up on her elbow, trying to study him in the faint light that came from under the door.

"It's not polite to stare, Lily," Severus whispered, his eyes still closed, still lying perfectly still. For a moment, she almost thought she'd imagined his voice.

"I wasn't staring," she whispered back, feeling herself blush. _Liar._ She was staring. He opened his eyes then, finally turning to meet her gaze. He looked almost amused, at least, she thought he did now her eyes were more accustomed to the low light.

"What would you call it then?" he asked, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Just looking at my soon to be husband," she grinned at him.

"Ah," he said, matching her grin, shifting to pull her into his arms, allowing her to press herself against his side, her chin propped on his chest to see his face as best she could. "Wondering if you've still got time to escape?" he teased.

"Never," she answered seriously, shifting to press her lips to his, enjoying their first _real_ kiss in what felt like forever, getting lost in the sensations of their lips moving and responding to each other perfectly, the feeling of his hand holding her close, carelessly toying with the hem of her pyjama top, his fingertips brushing softly against her skin in the most delightful of ways.

"Where shall we get married then?" she asked once she'd reluctantly pulled away.

"Wherever you want," he answered, reaching to touch her cheek.

"It's supposed to be about both of us, Sev, not just what I want," she told him. "Do you want to get married at the church?" she asked. Severus sighed. "Honestly?"

"Not especially, but if you want to –"

"Not the church then, that's fine. So where _do_ you want to get married?"

"I kind of thought getting married outside would be nice," he admitted.

"Like in a fancy garden? Or a forest or something?" she asked.

"Maybe."

"Or did you mean somewhere like the Hogwarts grounds?" she asked. He didn't answer. "Like by the lake?"

"If Dumbledore would let us. What do you think?"

"I think it sounds perfect," she told him, beaming as she leaned forwards to kiss him again before settling on his chest with a sigh of contentment.

"I'll talk to him tomorrow, if I get chance to that is," he said.

"Is that why you're still awake?"

"Mmm. I have no idea how the trial will go, or when I'll be called to speak, or if they'll ask questions, or expect me to have some sort of speech prepared. It's all happening so fast."

"Well, that's a good thing, right?"

"I suppose," he muttered.

"I know it's happening fast, but at least that means it'll be over quicker. It'll be done before the wedding, we won't have it hanging over our heads. Once the trials are done we can get on with our lives properly."

"That's true."

"And you'll only be needed for Regulus' trial, right?"

"I believe so, unless Dumbledore decides he wants me to speak against any of the others and I have no idea when that will be."

"Well, worrying now won't change things will it? You'll get some answers tomorrow and figure things out from there," she said.

"Mmm," he mumbled.

"Now get some sleep," she ordered.

"I will if you will," he countered.

"Deal," she said with a grin, closing her eyes in the darkness, feeling him kiss her temple as he did almost every time they were cocooned so peacefully, bodies pressed together, legs entwined beneath the sheets, her hand resting on his chest beside her head, where she could surrender to sleep as his steady heartbeat acted as soothing as a lullaby.

...

He hated this feeling. Nervousness? Anxiety? _Waiting?_ He still hated having to wait for the actions of others to dictate what he needed to do. Though he supposed it couldn't be helped in this instance. The trials couldn't have happened any sooner, it was still less than a week since Voldemort had fallen. But as he told Lily, this particular event seemed to have come around too fast. He hadn't had _enough_ time to prepare himself mentally. He hadn't wanted to think about it if he was honest with himself, he'd wanted to exist in a state of blissful avoidance.

Lily being injured had given him the perfect way of avoiding that particular reality. He hadn't wanted to face the outside world at all. Hadn't wanted to answer the Minister's questions. Or talk to an Auror. And certainly not a bloody reporter. He hadn't wanted their judgment, their scepticism, their concern over what he might become. He just wanted to live a quiet life with Lily, a normal life, private, with no one following them, no one interested in where they shopped or what they wore. He didn't want to live his life under a microscope. Obviously the best option for all was Voldemort being gone, but part of him hated that he was the one to do it, simply because of the unwanted attention that act brought. And it was only going to get worse, in the short term at least as he spoke at trials, or the Minister released his statements of events.

He was beyond grateful Lily was awake and recovering well from the spell she was hit with, but selfishly he wished they could have left the hospital unnoticed, wished he could have whisked her away, out of the country to somewhere no one would recognise them, where they could stroll hand in hand, dine in restaurants, shop where they pleased, relax without a reporter shouting questions at them at a constant pace. Somewhere they could avoid reality, if only for a little bit.

But again, Lily was right about that too. The sooner this began, the sooner it ended and they could at least try and move on with their lives and find out what normality was like. Surely the interest in him would fade sooner or later, it couldn't go on forever.

The kettle boiling distracted him from his thoughts then and he focused on nothing except making a pot of tea, placing it on the table close to Lily. Really, she should still be resting, but there was no way he would be able to convince her to return to bed yet, though she assured him she would if it was necessary while he was at the trial. He desperately wanted her to come with him but there was no way that was possible, only members of the Wizengamot and those being called as witnesses were allowed in the courtrooms. And he wasn't even sure if he would be present for all of it, or just called in when they wanted his testimony. That unknown expectation definitely added to his nerves.

"You should eat something, Sev, it's going to be a long day," Lily said when he finally sank into the seat beside her.

"I'm not hungry," he answered stubbornly.

"Won't you at least try?" she asked softly. With a sigh, he grabbed a slice of toast from the rack, not even bothering to butter it, only nibbled on a corner before dropping it onto the plate in front of him. Severus fought the urge to help as he watched Lily carefully pour out two cups of tea, she wasn't helpless after all and soon she would begin to snap at him _fussing_ around her all the time. So he restrained himself, muttering his thanks as she added the milk.

The two of them sipped their tea in silence, at least until they were joined by her parents breezing into the kitchen, happily leaning in to kiss Lily's cheek, smiling brightly, evidently excited at having her back home.

"Good morning, you two," Mrs Evans greeted as she took her own seat. "Did you sleep well?"

"I don't think I slept too badly," Lily answered. "I woke up briefly once but that was about it," she smiled.

"And you, Severus, are you ready for today?"

"I wish I could say I was," he replied with a sigh.

"You'll be fine, dear," she said reassuringly. "After everything you've done, this will be a piece of cake."

"I hope you're right," he mumbled, attempting another bite of his sorry looking toast.

"Did you get chance to talk any more about the wedding?" Mrs Evans asked.

"Actually we did," Lily replied.

"Oh, that's wonderful. What did you talk about?"

"We talked about where we'd like to get married. If it's possible anyway," Lily explained.

"You don't want to get married at the church here?" she asked sadly.

"I know you said it's lovely further up in the village, Mum, but we haven't seen it for ourselves –"

"You could go and take a look today," her mother interrupted.

"It's not just that. It just doesn't feel like _us_ ," she said. Which was true. Severus wouldn't count himself as religious in any way, shape or form, but he would have done it if it was Lily's wish, but seeing as it wasn't...

"Things still aren't back to normal in the village, Mrs Evans," Severus said quietly. "Some of the wards are still in place between areas so that Muggles remain unaware of what took place. Most of the street has been repaired now, but it's still not as it was before."

"No, the man from the Ministry said it would probably be another few days until it was all finished," Mr Evans said. "We're lucky this house wasn't damaged at all.

"That's mostly down to the Fidelius, they couldn't see anything here, so didn't send any spells this way. That and the Order arrived before they got this far, they were more focused on fighting than destroying property," Severus told them.

"And you leading them away into the field, I'm sure limited the damage," Mr Evans suggested. Severus nodded, conceding that point. If the fighting had continued outside, sooner or later the cottage would have been struck by something even if they couldn't actually see it.

"So where do you want to get married?" Mrs Evans finally asked.

"We were thinking about Hogwarts, if the Headmaster would allow it anyway," Lily said.

"Would we be able to come? I thought Muggles couldn't see Hogwarts," Mr Evans asked.

"That's because of the enchantments. There must be a way for them to be lifted for a few hours," Lily mused. "But we really need to talk to Dumbledore about it."

"If it's what you want," her mother said. Lily nodded.

"It should be easier to keep it private there," Severus said, "Everyone knows what happened at Godric's Hollow, or at least they will once the statements have reached the press. People know we live here, for the time being; no doubt there's a reporter hidden among the Ministry workers repairing the lane. If a wedding party left here and headed up towards the church we'd end up with gate crashers. People will expect us to marry here. Hogwarts should give us more ability to keep people out who shouldn't be there."

"And Hogwarts is important to us. It's been a huge part of our lives for seven years," Lily added. "It just feels right. Though, what about Petunia? Have you spoken to her recently? Or written?"

"We spoke to her yesterday," Mrs Evans answered with a sigh.

"Oh? Is she alright?" Lily asked.

"She's fine, dear, Vernon too, but..."

"But she won't be coming to the wedding will she?" Lily asked sadly. Severus reached to touch her hand.

"I'm afraid not, sweetheart."

"I figured as much," Lily mumbled. "I doubt she wants to see either me or Severus again."

"She's still upset, about this war. Upset we had to go into hiding," Mr Evans clarified.

"That couldn't be helped! It was to keep you safe!" Lily argued.

"I know, dear, you don't have to convince us," Mrs Evans said quickly.

"But she blames me for that, doesn't she?" Lily asked with a frown. "Because I'm a witch."

"So it seems," Mr Evans agreed.

"Well, me being a witch is never going to change, so I guess it's reasonable to assume that her opinion of me won't. And I can't do a damn thing about it," Lily finally stated.

"No, Lily," Mr Evans said. "Just live your life, enjoy it, and maybe one day she'll come around.

Lily nodded, most likely not believing that for a second. Severus certainly didn't believe Petunia's opinion would ever change, she was far too concerned with what others thought of her, she wouldn't entertain the possibility of reconciling with her sister, the witch. What would the neighbours think if they knew? _Pathetic._ They were definitely better off without such hate directed at them.

Silence settled upon the room once again, speaking of Petunia seemed to have dragged down everyone's spirits, even Lily was now looking miserable. Fortunately the silence didn't last, disturbed by a sudden tapping at the window. Severus made his way over, letting the owl inside, relieving it of the copy of today's Daily Prophet. The owl took off again quickly, before Severus could even offer it a treat.

"Oh, Merlin," he grumbled as he unfolded the paper, seeing an unflattering picture of himself and Dumbledore that appeared to have been snapped without his knowledge in the Ministry Atrium after they left the Minister. A smaller picture of the Minister himself also adorned the front page, the middle aged wizard in smart grey robes, looking very pleased with himself. The headline proudly proclaiming: ' _Minchum meets with the hero of Godric's Hollow.'_ Why did this have to come out today?

"What is it?" Lily asked worriedly. Severus said nothing, only handed her the paper and sank back into his seat. Lily cleared her throat and began reading.

" _Minister for Magic, Harold Minchum, has confirmed that Severus Snape accompanied Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, to a meeting on Wednesday 26_ _th_ _July to discuss events surrounding the downfall of He Who Must Not Be Named. The Minister assures us the process was complex and involved a number of strategies spearheaded by the Order of the Phoenix created by Dumbledore, and assisted by Snape, to ensure his complete removal._

" _It seems that eighteen year old Severus Snape became entangled in this web after misunderstanding caused him to become the primary target of You Know Who. Indeed, the Slytherin student does not appear the usual face of the hero seeking glory. He is described by former class mates as reserved, sombre and anti-social (for more about Severus Snape turn to page 14). The Minister firmly believes that Snape has no leaning towards the dark, insisting Mr Snape presented himself as an intelligent young man who has clearly spent his teenage years researching ways to help free the wizarding world from tyranny._

" _We are also told that despite the peculiar circumstances that led to Snape finding himself a target, he willingly worked alongside Albus Dumbledore to track down and remove certain dark artefacts (for more information turn to page 23), eventually facing You Know Who himself, showing a huge amount of bravery and nerve against an enemy that struck terror into the hearts and minds of all._

" _Thankfully during his loner school days, he put his mind to creating new spells (see page 14), eventually finding one which allowed him to end the reign of You Know Who, though he refuses to share details of this particular spell. He Who Must Not Be Named launched an attack on the village of Godric's Hollow on Saturday 22_ _nd_ _July, as he searched for Mr Snape. A full scale battle ensued and Mr Snape entered the fight, leading Death Eaters away from the village. The Battle saw a number of dead and injured on both sides (for full lists see page 8), including He Who Must Not Be Named, falling to a Killing Curse after being hit by Mr Snape's unknown spell. Severus Snape's fiancée, Lily Evans, was injured in the battle after she beheaded You Know Who's unusual snake, it is believed she has now left St Mungo's and is recovering well._

" _Minchum has called for Order's of Merlin to be issued to those who fought, a date will be set later in the year for a presentation ceremony._

" _Today, Friday 28_ _th_ _July, sees the first trials of known Death Eaters, controversially beginning with seventeen year old Regulus Black at the request of Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster insists Regulus Black has aided the side of Light, bringing information crucial to the downfall of You Know Who. Orion and Walburga Black have both declined to comment (for more information on the House of Black, including links to the Malfoy's and Lestrange's, turn to page 17). Albus Dumbledore will be speaking in defence of Regulus Black and it is rumoured that Severus Snape will also be in attendance. For full details on upcoming Death Eater trials, turn to page 4._

" _The Minister would also like to remind the public that Rabastan Lestrange and Thorfinn Rowle have still not been accounted for, and to remain vigilant. If anyone believes they have sighted either of these men, please contact the Ministry immediately and do not approach under any circumstances."_

"Please tell me that's all there is," Severus said.

"That's all that's on the front," she shrugged, putting the paper down on the table.

"They don't really say much, do they?" Mr Evans asked.

"Not especially. Not much more than the speculation beforehand – this is probably a lot less interesting than some of their ridiculous ramblings," Severus snorted.

"At least they confirm that you defeated him," Lily said.

"Yes, with an unknown spell and a Killing Curse. Right after saying I'm a sombre, anti-social loner! They make me sound like a nutter," he argued.

"Well, they say you worked with Dumbledore, and that you'll be getting an Order of Merlin," she said hopefully.

"It says all who fought will, not just me. But you're right, that is a good thing," he conceded. He wouldn't be alone in receiving a medal, the focus at the ceremony wouldn't all be on him.

"I'm surprised they didn't mention the Prophecy," Lily said thoughtfully.

"Mmm, well the Minister _definitely_ knows, Dumbledore told him the whole thing."

"So either he's left it out intentionally, or the reporters left it out of their article," Lily said.

"Which doesn't make sense, it will come out at the trials, it has to," Severus argued.

"Well, I guess they'll be writing about this for a while, Sev, new stories every day. Especially as more comes out at the trials."

"Sells more papers, doesn't it? New exclusive bits of information every day. It would be far less effective if they just told the whole story from the beginning."

"Ever the cynic," Lily teased. Severus snorted. Well, it was probably true.

"I try."

"They don't mention the Horcruxes either," Lily pointed out.

"Again, something that's bound to come up in the trials – Regulus helped with them, Malfoy was hiding one. It has to be mentioned at some point."

"At least there's not long to wait now."

"Speaking of which, I really should be getting ready, Dumbledore will be here soon," he said with a sigh, giving Lily's hand a final squeeze before he rose from his seat and left the room, leaving Lily with her parents.

He'd barely made it to the bottom of the stairs when he heard the rustling of the newspaper. He wondered which page Lily was turning to. The page about the fallen Order members? The trials? The Black's? _Him?_ He hoped it wasn't that last one, whatever they had to say about him couldn't be good.

 **A/N – Hello, apologies for the delay with posting, a combination of things have been getting in the way of writing (my boiler leaked and flooded one of my bedrooms, so much cleaning and tidying and arranging of workmen to get a new boiler sorted, plus my 3 year old has suddenly decided he doesn't need to sleep so I'm having to lie with him for anywhere up to 2 hours in an evening until he finally gives in). I've done a lot of tinkering with this chapter, I've not been entirely happy with it all, but if I keep tinkering it will never get posted.**


	97. Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Severus had never seen anything like it in his life. The courtroom hidden down in the dungeons, below the Department of Mysteries was old, musty, and completely packed. At least up in the Atrium, the mass of assembled witches and wizards were spread out over a much larger area. Down here it felt like everyone was crammed in, it seemed more like being a spectator at some sort of concert or sporting event than anything else as he took in the row upon row of raised benches, all facing a solitary chair in the middle of the stone floor.

He certainly felt the odd man out. The overwhelming majority of those present were members of the Wizengamot and clothed accordingly in the distinctive plum coloured robes. Severus was wearing his usual black trousers and shirt, his heavy black cloak thrown around his shoulders, wishing more than ever that he had some casual robes of some sort, anything that would make him feel more like part of the wizarding world.

Quiet whispers rippled around the various assembled members, nervous anticipation at what was to come. All waiting for Regulus Black to be brought forwards and chained to that single, lonely chair. The witches and wizards in the row behind him were surprisingly silent, no doubt due to his presence. And he was certain there was at least one pair of eyes directly on him at all times, especially considering the report that had been in this mornings' Prophet. Severus frowned as he wondered whether the Minister had shared all the information with those gathered, or whether it would all be revealed to them today as the trial progressed.

Severus was seated on a short bench in front of the main tiered section of the courtroom, a bench with those asked here in addition to the Wizengamot who may be needed to give evidence either for or against Regulus. Beside Severus sat Professor Ainscott clothed in the same navy robes he favoured at Hogwarts, further down the bench sat Alastor Moody and Amelia Bones – the Auror who'd brought Regulus in after the battle.

All chatter ceased as the doors creaked open again and three wizards entered. The Minister for Magic walking in the centre, Dumbledore to his right, Barty Crouch Senior to his left. The three strode confidently down the centre of the courtroom, parting ways as they reached the chair; Dumbledore moved to the bench, remaining standing beside Severus, Crouch and the Minister continued on to a smaller bench on a raised dais at the front of the courtroom. Crouch took the centre seat of three – one already occupied by a small, mousy looking witch who would be acting as court scribe, Minister Minchum took the third seat.

Eventually, Crouch gestured to a wizard stationed at the heavy wooden doors and Regulus was escorted to the chair by an Auror with his wand drawn. Regulus settled himself in the lone chair, flinching for a split second as chains glowed gold, snaking around his arms and binding him in place. Satisfied he was now secured, the Auror stalked his way back to the door, waiting beside his colleague for further instructions.

"Regulus Arcturus Black, you have been brought before the Council of Magical Law today to answer the charges against you. You are accused of wearing the Mark identifying you as a follower of He Who Must Not Be Named, and participating in activities a Death Eater," Crouch began. "We will hear the evidence for and against you and pass judgment upon you accordingly," he continued on. "Albus Dumbledore has vouched for you personally, stating you have acted as spy against You-Know-Who at great risk to yourself, he has spoken at length regarding your involvement. You are Regulus Arcturus Black?"

"Yes, sir," Regulus answered quietly.

"The brand identifying you as a Death Eater and follower of You-Know-Who is located on your left forearm?"

"Yes, sir," Regulus answered again.

"Did you accept the Mark willingly?" Crouch asked coolly.

"Yes, sir, but –" Regulus answered hesitantly. Severus frowned at the line of questioning Crouch was taking, though not entirely surprised, his stance on Death Eaters was well known.

"So you _are_ a willing Death Eater?"

"Please do keep in mind Mr Black's age upon accepting Lord Voldemort's mark," Dumbledore interrupted calmly. Crouch sighed, suppressing a shudder at the uttering of Voldemort's name.

"Very well, your age upon receiving the mark?"

"I was sixteen, sir," Regulus answered with a sigh. Whispers began to ripple through the room. In some ways it was difficult to justify trying him for the crime of becoming a Death Eater, considering his age, he'd not long turned seventeen as it was. Had the war ended just a couple of months ago, he would have still been classed as a child.

"The court accepts you were a minor at the time you were branded," Crouch conceded. "However, you did accept the mark willingly and participate in activities as a Death Eater, did you not?"

"I accepted it willingly because I didn't know any better at the time!" Regulus argued. The whispers stopped, leaving silence in their wake.

"Explain," Crouch instructed. Regulus sighed before he continued.

"I had no idea what I was getting into when I handed my life over to ... _Him._ I was led to believe that he stood for wizards, for witches, for _magic._ That we shouldn't be hidden from Muggles. I was told there would be a hierarchy among us – with Purebloods at the top leading the way, then half-bloods, then Muggleborns. I had no idea that he meant to hunt those _lower down;_ that he meant for certain members of the world to be exterminated."

"You had no idea You-Know-Who wished to exterminate Muggles?"

"No," Regulus stated, shaking his head firmly. "Not until I'd already been marked, and then it was too late to back out without being killed."

"But you did _back out?_ " Crouch questioned.

"Not openly, but yes. As soon as I realised what he truly hoped to accomplish, I took what I knew to those who fought against him."

"You went to Dumbledore?"

"Not at first," he admitted. "It was too high risk to do so without drawing attention to myself. So I went to Snape." The whispers grew louder again, Severus shifted nervously in his seat as he felt eyes on him.

"And what prompted you to visit Mr Snape?"

"The Prophecy," Regulus said. "With relatives held in high regard by the Dark Lord, I was informed of the Prophecy's contents, and that he'd selected Severus Snape as the one the Prophecy referenced. He wanted all his followers within the school to watch him as closely as possible, uncover as much information about him as they could."

"The Minister and I have been informed of the Prophecy's contents prior to today, Dumbledore if you could inform the Wizengamot," Crouch said. Dumbledore turned to face the rows of plum clad listeners, repeating the words Trelawney had uttered, words that would be forever seared into Severus' own brain. It was clear from the reaction that not all members believed those words. When Dumbledore finished speaking, Crouch returned his attention to Regulus.

"Do you know what prompted _him_ to select Mr Snape?"

"I only know that Snape met with the Headmaster on a regular basis, it is uncommon for him to take such a personal interest in a student. It was well known within Slytherin that Snape was more intelligent than the average wizard – Lucius Malfoy had been pursuing Snape as a potential recruit for that reason. And I believe Snape was present when the Prophecy was made, so adding all those things together it made Snape the logical choice, even if it was incorrect," Regulus told them.

"Do you believe his choice incorrect?" the Minister asked.

"That point is irrelevant. Whether I believed Snape had the power to defeat him made no difference," Regulus shrugged. "I don't believe in Prophecy's, though the fact that Snape _did_ defeat Him makes it a little trickier to argue."

"Very well," Crouch sighed, noting something on the parchment in front of him. "Returning to the matter of your... betrayal of your fellow Death Eaters. You admit you sought out Severus Snape once you realised You-Know-Who's intentions; when was this?"

"In January of this year."

"And what prompted this?"

"The Dark Lord took my house elf, Kreacher," he explained. "He wished to test the defences he'd erected around an item he wanted to remain hidden. Kreacher was tortured quite badly and left for dead. He returned to me as I'd instructed and told me what he'd seen."

"What did he see?" the Minister asked curiously.

"He was taken to a cave and forced to drink a poison which caused him terrible pain, and terrible thirst with no way to quench it except for a lake filled with Inferi. He was meant to die at their hands."

"What was the object?" Crouch asked.

"A locket," Regulus answered. The Minister frowned, addressing Dumbledore before Crouch could continue his questioning.

"Slytherin's locket?"

"Indeed it was," Dumbledore confirmed. "Severus and I retrieved the locket based on Regulus' information and destroyed it."

"Excuse me," a female voice from two rows behind them began. "What was so important about the locket?"

"My dear lady, Lord Voldemort wished to become immortal. He attempted to do this by tying his soul to a variety of objects, the locket was one of those objects," he informed her with a smile, which Severus found slightly disturbing considering the topic of conversation was Horcruxes.

"Thank you, Albus," Crouch said. "So this was the first piece of information you brought to Mr Snape's attention? What happened next?"

"I told him whenever I heard of anything planned by followers within the school. And I told him of an initiation that was planned at the Lestrange Manor during the Easter holidays."

"Now just wait a moment, my office was never informed of an initiation, we would have raided if we'd known in advance," Crouch snapped irritably.

"Precisely why you were not informed, Barty," Dumbledore responded mildly. Crouch seethed in furious silence.

"And what was Mr Snape's response when you told him you would be visiting the Lestrange Manor?" the Minister asked, taking over from Crouch.

"He asked me to keep a lookout for an old cup with a badger on it," Regulus answered. A few muffled giggles could be heard among the whispers.

"Hufflepuff's Cup?" the Minister directed at Dumbledore again.

"Indeed," Dumbledore answered, looking pleased at the Minister's deduction.

"And you found this cup?" the Minister asked, directing his attention back to Regulus.

"I did, and I gave it to the Headmaster. He saw me on the train as I returned to school at the end of the holidays."

"Is this correct, Dumbledore?"

"It is," Dumbledore replied.

"Destroyed?"

"Destroyed, in the presence of Barty Crouch, as a matter of fact," Dumbledore smiled. Severus fought back a smirk; the old wizard seemed to be enjoying teasing Crouch immensely. Crouch however, was almost purple in the face.

"Don't be absurd!" Crouch spat indignantly. "I think I'd remember such a thing!"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll recall it quite clearly, Barty, you were after all, at my school gates with a pair of Dementors," Dumbledore stated. The murmuring grew louder again.

"What?" Crouch hissed through clenched teeth.

"You arrived at my school with two Dementors and the desire to interrogate my students in search of Death Eaters. When they showed an unnatural level of interest in me – or rather, the Cup stowed in my robes – you finally agreed to remove them, but not before they destroyed that very Cup."

"Is this true, Crouch?" the Minister asked him quietly.

"Yes, Minister, I believe so," he whispered, the purple tinge finally leaving his cheeks.

"Very well. Albus, is there anything else you wish to state for us regarding Mr Black?" the Minister asked.

"Thank you, Harold," Dumbledore said as he stepped forwards, turning to face the Wizengamot. "Regulus Black has been instrumental in bringing down Lord Voldemort, he has brought us information, and he brought us the Cup, which was an essential part of removing Voldemort's power. As I mentioned earlier, Voldemort took steps to protect himself from death, tying his soul to a number of important historical artefacts. One of those items was the locket Regulus' house elf saw; another was the cup Regulus retrieved for us. Until the end of the school year, Regulus kept Severus informed of anything which may be useful – confirming rumours associated with Voldemort's activities, and letting us know what his followers were doing inside the school."

"And after the school year?" the Minister asked.

"He has remained in contact via a charmed coin, informing me directly as soon as he became aware of an attack – such as the one on Edgar Bones."

"But Edgar still lost his life!" Barty snapped.

"Unfortunately so," Dumbledore acknowledged. "He volunteered to remain at home while his wife and children were safely hidden, giving the illusion of the attack being unexpected."

"He sacrificed himself?" Crouch asked.

"For his family, and for all of us," Dumbledore answered. "Regulus also informed me of the attack on the McKinnon's, allowing us to get Order members quickly into place, and he notified me when Voldemort arrived in Godric's Hollow in search of Severus."

"And how did You-Know-Who discover Snape's location?" Crouch asked.

"Regulus told him, on my instructions," Dumbledore answered.

"Why?"

"Because sooner or later Voldemort had to find me," Severus answered before Dumbledore could, sending the courtroom into silence again.

"Mr Snape, you wish to speak?" Crouch asked. He didn't really want to speak, but he would. He took a deep breath as he stood.

"You've heard the Prophecy from Dumbledore, you've heard from Regulus that Voldemort chose me as the _one_ with the power to vanquish him, everything he was doing was in search of me so he could prove the Prophecy wrong. People were fighting and dying and it wasn't going to end until he found what he wanted," Severus told them.

"And you found it acceptable, that the Headmaster would give away your location to save the lives of others?" Crouch asked him.

"I suggested it to Dumbledore. If my location came from Regulus, it would help him avoid suspicion. And it would end the war. We'd removed all of the _anchors_ he'd created, apart from the snake."

"The snake?" the same woman as before questioned.

"That was one of the things he'd tied his soul to," Severus answered.

"How many _things_ were there?" she asked, sounding more than a little disturbed. Dumbledore nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"There was a Diary, which was retrieved from Malfoy Manor, a ring found at his mother's old home, and a Diadem hidden at Hogwarts," Severus said.

"But Mr Black was not involved with those three items?" Crouch asked.

"Not those," Severus confirmed, "only the locket, cup and snake."

"He was involved with the snake?"

"He confirmed the rumours that were printed in the Prophet."

"Is that true, Mr Black?"

"Yes, sir, that's true," Regulus answered with a slight nod.

"Is there anything else you'd like to add, Mr Snape?" the Minister asked.

"He did bring us other information over the months – he told us when Peter Pettigrew was marked, and when he broke into Professor McGonagall's office to obtain my address and send Death Eaters after my mother. He told us when Voldemort ordered Pettigrew to retrieve the address of my fiancée's parents, giving Dumbledore time to hide them."

"Mr Pettigrew was apprehended, yes?" the Minister asked as he shuffled through the stack of parchment in front of him.

"He was caught in the process of searching Professor McGonagall's office for Mr and Mrs Evans' address and handed over to Law Enforcement. He was one of the Death Eaters freed during the attack on Azkaban, but caught in an attempt to break into Hogwarts on lord Voldemort's orders and again returned to Azkaban," Dumbledore confirmed.

"Do you know why You-Know-Who would have ordered Mr Pettigrew to Hogwarts?" Crouch asked.

"To retrieve the Diadem he'd hidden," Severus stated.

"That he'd tied his soul to?" the Minister asked. Severus nodded. "Destroyed?"

"It had already been destroyed by that point," Severus confirmed.

"Very well," Crouch said, "Mr Snape, do you believe Mr Black has assisted you?"

"He _has_ assisted us, as Dumbledore already stated. He brought us information that was vital to win this war. If he hadn't been on our side, at the very least it would have taken longer to end the war; it would still be being fought now!" Severus told them.

"Thank you, Mr Snape, you may be seated. Mr Black, just a few more questions," Crouch said. "In your time as a Death Eater, have you ever used an Unforgiveable?"

"No, sir," Regulus answered.

"You have not murdered? Tortured?" he asked sceptically.

"No, sir. My role was mainly observation; I was marked due to my family connections."

"You have fought in battle?"

"Yes, sir. I have injured others, I cannot deny that. But in the battle at the McKinnon's I left to inform _him_ of Snape's location, and in the battle at Godric's Hollow I fought against the Death Eaters, I fought beside my brother."

"You did not attack Aurors? Order members?"

"No, sir, only Death Eaters," Regulus confirmed.

"Miss Bones, you were the one to arrest Mr Black?"

"Yes, sir," the blonde Auror answered as she rose from her seat.

"Was he co-operative?"

"Very, sir. He informed me on the field that he was a spy for Albus Dumbledore and co-operated fully. He was found seated with Order members – including Sirius Black and James Potter, the latter of which spoke in his defence at the time of his arrest, believing him to be on the side of Light."

"Thank you, Miss Bones," Crouch said and she returned to her seated position.

"Mr Black, if necessary are you prepared to give evidence against other followers of You-Know-Who?" Crouch asked.

"Yes, sir," Regulus answered, receiving a sharp nod in response.

"Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot, based on the evidence heard today I would like to call a vote. Mr Black, given your age at the time of your marking and the evidence of your actions since receiving said mark, I have little choice but to propose clearing you of all charges brought against you. All those in favour?" Crouch called out. Severus chanced a glance around him, seeing a sea of hands thrust into the air. "Those against?" he called. Severus could see a few hands this time, but not many. "Regulus Arcturus Black, you are cleared of all charges. You are free to leave on the condition you return to provide evidence as required."

...

Crouch's words seemed to echo around his head as he sat, still bound to the chair, in stunned silence. Footsteps clattered on the stone floor all around as the courtroom began to empty, Wizengamot members all eager to escape the musty dungeon for a while before the next trial began.

Regulus blinked as the chains glowed gold again before retreating, freeing his arms. He released a shaky breath, glancing up to find the Auror that had escorted him in looking at him curiously, his wand still held firmly in his hand.

"You're a lucky boy, Mr Black," he commented.

"Lucky?" he replied, staring at him in disbelief.

"Mmm, seems you've got some powerful men on your side. Dumbledore, that Snape boy."

"Believe it or not, I am on _their_ side."

"Mmm," the Auror mumbled again, clearly not believing the words spoken in his favour. "Anyway, we'll need to get you back upstairs then, get your possessions back to you. And you'll need to set up an appointment with Mr Crouch." Regulus nodded, quickly standing as the Auror began to stride away.

"Ah, Regulus, congratulations," Dumbledore greeted as he reached the bench he still stood beside.

"Headmaster," Regulus returned with a nod of his head. "Thank you, for speaking on my behalf."

"Your thanks are unnecessary, I have only spoken the truth, you have been of utmost importance in this war against the darkness. I am more than a little relieved that common sense and cool heads prevailed today," he commented, looking faintly amused.

"I have to admit, I was a little concerned they wouldn't believe I was on your side," Regulus said. "I assume there was a lot more going on than I know about."

"Indeed. It has been quite the journey," Dumbledore said.

"Slytherin's locket? Hufflepuff's cup? He tied his _soul_ to those things?"

"He did. And his connections have all been severed, in part, thanks to you," Dumbledore told him.

"Well, it's good to know it's finally over."

"Quite, now if you'll excuse me, I must catch up with the Minister, there is still much to discuss ahead of this afternoon's trial. Lucius Malfoy will be facing the Wizengamot, no doubt Mr Crouch will wish to speak to you upstairs. Good day, both of you," Dumbledore said, glancing between himself and Severus, departing after a final nod, his long sky blue robes brushing the cold floor behind him.

"Severus," Regulus greeted, offering his hand.

"Regulus," Severus said, shaking his hand.

"How have things been?"

"Odd," Severus answered. "There was a statement in the Prophet this morning about my involvement."

"I'm sure that was fun."

"Mmm, they left out a lot of what Dumbledore and I told the Minister, though at least that didn't affect your trial."

"I'm sure it will all come out eventually."

"Naturally."

"Is Evans alright?"

"She was injured after she took out Voldemort's snake, but she's home now," Severus told him.

"Well, I'm glad she's ok."

"Me too."

"Are you needed for Lucius' trial?"

"No, I don't have any direct evidence against him, I've already told them what I know."

"This Diary you mentioned at Malfoy Manor," Regulus began. "How did you get it?"

"Long story."

"Isn't everything?" Regulus asked with some amusement. Severus snorted. "Short version?"

"Disgruntled house elf."

"House elf?" Regulus parroted back. "You convinced a Malfoy house elf to go against his master?"

"I didn't need to," Severus shrugged.

"You know what, I think I'm just going to have to accept that there's a massive amount that I'm never going to get clear answers on, isn't there?"

"That's probably wise," Severus smirked.

"Are you headed home now then?"

"I need to pay a quick visit to one of the office's upstairs first, but then I'll be headed home."

"Oh? Everything ok?"

"Fine. Just need to notify the office for marriages."

"Ah. The light at the end of the tunnel," Regulus teased.

"Something like that. We've got no reason to put it off now, so if you're free next Saturday –"

"Saturday! You don't hang about do you?" Regulus laughed. "I'll be there," he assured him.

"I'll tell your brother to pass on the details," Severus said with a nod.

Regulus glanced at the Auror still stood by the wooden doors, he didn't look too pleased at being kept waiting.

"I should be going anyway, I need to head upstairs to get my wand back, and to talk to Crouch."

"About Malfoy?"

"Mmm, I'm sure there are others I can discuss while I'm there – his son for one," Regulus commented.

"That's going to go down well."

"Like a lead balloon."

"Then you're headed home?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "Not looking forward to discussing this whole thing with my parents," he admitted.

"Hopefully the fact you survived and escaped a life sentence in Azkaban will be enough to placate them," Severus suggested.

"I can but hope. Maybe my survival _will_ take the sting out of their second son becoming a traitor," he muttered sarcastically.

"You're not a traitor," Severus said seriously. Regulus sighed.

"Do _you_ want to have that conversation with them?"

"Tempting, but I don't think they'd enjoy coming face to face with the one that removed their Dark Lord," Severus commented with a raised eyebrow.

"Truer words have never been spoken."

"Come on, Black!" the Auror called out.

"Good luck, Regulus, I think you'll need it," Severus said, offering his hand again.

"Thanks mate, I think so too," he admitted, accepting a final short handshake, before quickly striding towards the awaiting Auror to tackle the next obstacle in his way to freedom.

...

"Come on, Lily, show us!" Jess' exasperated voice called out from the waiting area. Lily sighed, staring at herself in the mirror, concealed behind the curtain, preparing herself to obtain the opinion of dress number six. She really hoped Severus was having an easier time choosing his dress robes.

"Well?" Lily asked as she pulled the curtain back, stepping into the brightly lit area. Jess was trying to hide a frown, which wasn't the best sign; her mother was smiling politely, not wanting to offend the sales witch.

"You look stunning, dear," the sales witch cooed, beckoning her forwards to step onto the raised platform. "Of course it will need altering," she muttered almost to herself, waving her wand and causing a number of tape measures to flutter around her.

"I'm sorry, I just don't think this is the one," Lily said apologetically. It wasn't the one, it was too heavy for an August wedding, layers upon layers of brocade which felt like they weighed almost as much as she did. A dress that would be absolutely stunning on someone else, perhaps someone taller.

"Are you sure, dear, this fabric is divine?" the sales witch said, running her fingertips lightly along the embroidered sleeve.

"Maybe something a little lighter?" Jess suggested.

"Something delicate," her mother added.

"These fabrics would really make a statement in the wizarding world, so many will be interested in your choices now, Miss Evans," the woman said.

"I know, but I'm still me," Lily insisted.

"I think I've found just the thing," Alice said, clutching something triumphantly. Lily hadn't even realised she'd snuck off in search. Jess grabbed it excitedly, almost running to take it to the rail in the changing room, grinning as she returned.

"That's the one, Lily. Go and try it on!" Jess ordered, waving her away. Lily rolled her eyes in amusement, really hoping her friends were right.

"Fine," she grinned, returning to the cubicle, slipping the heavy brocade robe off to her relief. All of the dresses the sales witch had picked put for her had been beautiful in their own ways, each chosen because of what they represented – the fabrics, the embroidery, the colours, one a fitted column of silk she was assured was very _chic_ and would show the world she was a 'modern witch', another was endless ruffles reminding her of a meringue and scarily similar to the one Petunia had worn, though she was assured it was a timeless classic, the last one layers of embroidery, rich and elegant and would tell the world of her status. But she couldn't care less about any of that.

The one now hanging before her wasn't like those at all. It looked like something out of a fairytale to her, simply perfect as it hung on the rail so invitingly. She smiled as she slipped it on, the bodice was simple silk, just a few delicate shimmering crystals around the sweetheart neckline, sleeves of the lightest lace which fitted to her elbows, then draped and floated as they flared out. The skirt came to her ankles in layers of lace and tulle, so light, almost fluffy, puffed out delicately around her.

She pulled the curtain back, stepping happily out into the waiting area and straight back up on to the raised platform.

"Oh, Lily, it's beautiful," he mother gasped, rummaging in her handbag for a tissue.

"That's definitely the one," Jess commented.

"Definitely," Lily echoed. "Lucky number seven."

"You're certain, dear?" the sales witch asked. "It is quite lovely, but you'll only have one wedding."

"I'm certain," Lily confirmed.

"Put these on," Jess instructed, setting a pair of simple heels in front of her, the same ivory as the dress but a faint shimmer to them that looked simply magical.

"Much better," Jess nodded, stepping back to admire her selection.

"One more thing though," Alice said. "Let your hair down."

"Alright," Lily said, removing it from the elaborate braid the sales witch had done, letting her dark red hair fall down her back and frame her face with rich waves.

"Can we at least try a veil?" the sales witch asked. Lily nodded as the woman fussed behind her, pinning something into her hair. When the woman retreated, Lily saw the delicate veil shimmering over her hair, a loose ruffle of fine lace edged with the tiniest pearls she'd ever seen, finishing level with her waist. Finally, the sales witch had chosen something she liked.

"Perfect," Lily nodded.

"Marvellous," the woman breathed in relief. "When you're ready, I'll package everything for you."

"Thank you," Lily said as the woman bustled away, beginning the process of taking away the six previous dresses. "Do you think Severus will like it?" she asked as she turned, looking at her reflection in the numerous mirrors.

"He's got eyes in his head, hasn't he?" Alice teased.

"Of course he'll like it, you look beautiful," Jess added.

"Mind you, you could show up in a sack and he'd still think you're the most beautiful woman in the room," Alice said. Lily blushed, shaking her head.

"Come on, get changed. I think it's about time we got some ice cream," Jess told her. Lily nodded, stepping down from the platform, quickly changing into her usual clothes.

It didn't take long for Alice, Jess and her mother to take the chosen items to the sales witch, who quickly had them wrapped and ready to take. With everything paid for it was only a matter of minutes until they were gratefully pulling up seats outsides Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, under a pink and blue striped parasol while Jess went inside to order, soon setting a tray with a variety of sundaes on the table, instructing everyone to just dive in and help themselves.

"Oh, look who I see," Alice said, Lily looked up to see Severus approaching, a number of bags in his hands.

"Are you going to join us?" Lily asked him. Severus nodded, moving to pull up a chair beside her, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips before she fed a spoon of the berry ice cream from her dish. "Did you get your robes sorted?" she asked him.

"I did, it didn't take long thankfully," he admitted.

"Lucky you," she teased.

"Did you find a dress?" he asked cautiously.

"I did but it took forever," she sighed.

"Yeah, but it's perfect," Alice told him. Severus nodded, helping himself to more ice cream.

"That's good then," he finally said. "Lily, did you check your Gringott's vault before shopping today?" he asked in a whisper.

"No, Mum just changed Muggle money for today, she and Dad insisted," Lily told him. "Why?"

"There was money in my vault, I spoke to Dumbledore. Apparently it's from the Ministry," he said.

"Ministry?"

"There were rewards in place for information leading to capture of certain dark wizards. They've released the reward money for Voldemort into my account."

"Really? How much?" she found herself asking.

"Enough. We don't have to worry for a while anyway," he told her. "I think they might have put some in your vault because of the snake."

"Really? Well that's... unexpected. Well, after the wedding we can just have our vaults combined can't we?" she asked.

"If you wish."

"Why wouldn't we?"

"No reason," he shrugged, finishing off her sundae before she could even protest. She sighed as he smirked at her.

"Is Dumbledore still happy for us to have the wedding at Hogwarts?" she asked.

"Ecstatic," Severus said, rolling his eyes, "he thinks it's a marvellous idea and an opportunity for the new house elves to make a fuss."

"New house elves? What happened to the old ones?"

"Nothing. But a few new ones are now calling Hogwarts home now. Lucius Malfoy was able to avoid Azkaban," he said.

"What?" Lily quizzed, frowning at the change in topic.

"Mmm, apparently he was convincing enough with his Imperius story to avoid spending his life in prison."

"You mean he threw enough gold at the Ministry."

"That too," he agreed. "But he wasn't convincing enough to avoid punishment completely. He's been sentenced to two years house arrest and ordered to free any house elves who wished to leave, and Hogwarts would give them a home if they desired."

"How many were freed?" she asked curiously.

"All but one, who is technically Narcissa's house elf. All the others are now at Hogwarts, including..." he trailed off.

"Dobby?" she asked.

"Dobby," he confirmed. "Which could make the wedding interesting," he added with some amusement.

"Oh, I think it's going to be a wonderful day," Lily told him, moving herself closer into his side as his arm slipped around her shoulder.

"I quite agree," he chuckled. "By the end of the day, you'll be Mrs Snape," he whispered in her ear. Lily felt her heart beat faster in her chest at that thought. Becoming Severus' wife was something she was looking forward to very much indeed.


	98. Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Severus stood on the steps overlooking the grounds of Hogwarts. It was an absolutely perfect day, warm, bright and beautiful, and not a cloud in the brilliant blue sky, only the slightest of breezes blowing in from the lake.

Rows of chairs decorated with sashes of pale green satin and fresh summer flowers had been set up near the shore, not far from the weeping willow he and Lily had sought refuge beneath over the last seven years. An aisle of Gryffindor red separated the rows of chairs into two sections, leading to a beautiful floral archway where Lily would become his wife.

It felt surreal, the fact that it was his wedding day, though he felt oddly calm, like nothing in the universe could stop them. He and Lily could accomplish anything they wished as long as they remained side by side, they'd already changed the wizarding world. Voldemort had fallen just two weeks ago thanks to their combined efforts. He'd expected his nerves to be running rampant, everyone spoke of 'wedding jitters', but to him if felt as natural as breathing. He was eager for everyone to arrive so they could start the ceremony.

At the moment, the chairs were empty, though they wouldn't be for much longer, Hagrid had already gone to the gates to wait for guests to arrive, and ready to turn away anyone unexpected – such as a reporter or two. They were certainly not welcome here today. Today was about two people who loved each other, joining together to start their life with their family and friends surrounding them, ready to wish them well for the journey. And Severus could certainly count several friends now, he didn't only have Lily in his life. He would certainly class Dumbledore as a friend, the Headmaster had shown a huge amount of belief in him over the last two years, belief which had intensified with each obstacle that seemed to have been placed in their way. Dumbledore had trusted a sixteen year old boy who until that point had appeared to be heading down the opposite path. He'd taken a leap of faith and trusted the memories were real, hadn't backed down when the Prophecy was made, kept insisting that Severus had the power and determination to see it through to the bitter end. And he couldn't ignore the fact that Dumbledore had kept his family safe; he'd hidden his mother with a family so warm and caring they'd treated her as one of their own, encouraging her to come out from behind her walls and embrace life as a witch again, he'd kept Mr and Mrs Evans safe from Death Eaters, he'd kept Lily safe while giving them the chance to help choose their own future. He owed Dumbledore a great deal, the least he could do was call him 'friend'.

He definitely considered Regulus a friend now, the younger Black brother had shown exactly what he was made of during the last few months, he'd taken his own leap of faith in approaching the Light with information, it would have been so easy for him to have been turned over to Magical Law Enforcement, but the trust that had developed in both directions had become a crucial part of ending the war and obviously it had not been misplaced as the seventeen year old pureblood managed to throw his insane cousin by blood, slightly twisted cousin by marriage, and the Dark Lord they followed off the scent. None of them had suspected he could possibly be a traitor. If nothing else, Regulus deserved the respect of the wizarding world for the risks he'd taken, discovery of his true intent would have meant instant death for him, but he'd never shied away from it, never backed down.

And of course, there were the Marauders. The trio of Gryffindors who had somehow wiggled their way closer into his life. Their taunts and pranks had ended and become something entirely different. Both sides had worked their way through mistrust of the others motives, through to grudging acceptance that the other was needed, to confiding a need for assistance, to trust and friendship. And Severus didn't want to change that now. He couldn't help but wonder if their lives would have been different if the sorting had ended in another way when they were still eleven year old children. If Black had been a Slytherin like the entirety of his family, would the two of them have forged a friendship? Two boys isolated from their parents, mistreated in their respective homes? What if Severus had been a Gryffindor? Would he have been a Marauder? Would he have been like Lupin, quiet and struggling to make friends, happy to be included in a group that rapidly became popular? It wasn't something he could ever know, the past could not be changed after all, only the future. He was unbelievably grateful the memories had given him the opportunity to change things, not just for himself, but for everyone.

"There you are, Severus," his mother's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Are you alright, dear?" she asked, frowning as she searched his face.

"I am. Just thinking," he told her.

"Are you nervous?"

"No," he said, smiling and shaking his head. "You look nice," he told her, taking in her simple tailored dress in a fresh spring green which suited her complexion, her long black hair twisted up in an elegant knot.

"Thank you. Heather helped me pick the dress. You look so handsome," she told him, smiling fondly, running her fingers over the front of his robes, smoothing the rich green fabric. "You really are a man now, aren't you?" she added almost sadly. "I missed too much."

"But you won't miss anything else," he said simply, taking her hand as she fought back a sniffle.

"Never," she vowed. "Now, let's get you down there, yes? Guests are already flooing in, and others are coming up the path now."

Severus nodded, moving to place her hand on his elbow, leading her down the path towards the seating area.

"It all looks so lovely," she commented as they walked down the aisle towards the archway.

"Mmm, Lily's friends."

"And your friends?" she quizzed with a raised eyebrow.

"I suppose," he shrugged non-commitally, he hadn't really considered whether Jessica Marshal and Alice Prewett were _his_ friends.

"Well, they've done a wonderful job," his mother said, taking a closer look at the archway.

"Ah, Severus, I thought I'd find you here," Dumbledore said as he made his way down the aisle towards them, the silver and gold embroidery on his magenta robes seemed to almost glow under the afternoon sun. "I see guests are arriving," he added, looking out over the grass as people approached – a family of red headed Weasley's, a smiling Molly carrying one of the twins, Arthur carrying the other as the other three boys walked hand in hand, Percy in the middle helped by his big brothers. Severus couldn't help but wonder if it was a small glimpse at what lay in his own future. A glimpse of husband and wife and happy children.

His mother excused herself, heading off to greet the Weasley's, scooping Percy up into her arms as she reached them, the toddler's face lighting up as he recognised the woman who had lived with them for months. She might have missed much of his own childhood thanks to his father's treatment of them both, but she wouldn't miss her grandchildren. Without the Weasley's he didn't think he'd be saying that.

"Severus, I'd like to introduce you to the Ministry official," Dumbledore said, regaining his attention. "This is Algernon Briars, Algernon, Severus Snape." The smartly dressed wizard in midnight blue robes offered his hand.

"Ah, the famous Mr Snape, I've read a great deal about you," he said, his bushy moustache twitching as he spoke, reminding him of a slimmer version of Professor Slughorn. Severus frowned slightly as he shook the man's hand. "Don't worry, I only believe the good bits," he chuckled. "Albus has had a great deal to say about you, which I'm sure is much closer to the truth."

"Right," Severus replied cautiously, glancing over at an amused looking Dumbledore.

"It looks like most of the guests are here," Algernon stated. Severus looked behind him to find most of the seats were indeed starting to fill up, the Weasley's were seated taking up a whole row, with Molly's brothers on the row behind, along with their cousin Alice and Frank Longbottom. On the other side of the aisle was James Potter, Sirius and Regulus Black, Remus Lupin and Mary MacDonald; Professor's Ainscott, McGonagall and Slughorn were at the back along with Madam Pomfrey. A few other Order members were present too, settling themselves into various small groups, but everyone was smiling. Algernon pulled a pocket watch from inside his robes. "It's almost time for your good lady," he commented stuffing it back in his pocket and guiding Severus into position on one side of the archway to wait for his bride to arrive. Severus saw his mother move to the front row, with Percy still on her lap; evidently the tot didn't want to let her go so soon. Jess walked quickly down the aisle, her role assisting Lily complete for the time being; she smiled brightly at him, giving him a thumbs up as she dropped into a seat beside Potter, the messy haired boy's arm draping casually around her shoulder as he kissed her cheek.

Dumbledore settled himself in the front row beside his mother and excitable Percy, waving his wand towards an elaborate gramophone player to one side and the Bridal March began, filling the air, surrounding them completely. Severus couldn't take his eyes off the approaching figures – Mr and Mrs Evans with Lily in the middle. He'd never seen her looking as beautiful as she did in that moment, her dress flowing around her with the subtlest of shimmers, the veil fluttering like fairy wings behind her, and the most stunning smile possible; she seemed to be lit from within, radiating pure happiness. And Severus couldn't help but match her smile with one of his own.

The music ended as the three Evanses stopped in front of him, her mother and father each kissed her on the cheek before Lily's soft hand was placed in his. Mr and Mrs Evans quickly took their seats on the front row as he and Lily turned to face the Ministry official.

"Friends, family, welcome," Algernon began. "We are here today to join two people together in love, light and magic. Severus, Lily, you have asked that the Ministry recognise you from this day forward as husband and wife, I am here to honour your request. I understand you have composed your own vows," he said. Lily and Severus both nodded. "Lily, if you have your ring for Severus, would you like to begin?" Lily nodded, passing her bouquet to her mother, removing the simple gold band from a tiny velvet bag. Severus' smile became even bigger as she carefully slipped the ring onto his finger and spoke the words she had written for him.

"Severus, I promise to listen to you, to love you, to cherish you. To walk with you in life, by your side, hand in hand wherever the road takes us. I will support you in your hopes and dreams, and be your strength when your own is low. I promise we will create a future together, my heart and soul are forever yours. I love you, Severus, my best friend, my husband," she whispered, her voice cracking on the very last sentence. Severus lifted one of his hands to her cheek, brushing away a lone tear that had snuck out.

"Severus, if you have your ring for Lily, please proceed," Algernon instructed. Severus retrieved the delicate gold band from the pocket in his robes and slipped it onto her dainty finger.

"Lily, for so many years you have been my best friend. You saw good in me when no one else did, not even me. I don't know what I did to deserve your kindness, your compassion, your love; but I promise I will never betray your faith in me. I will strive to always be a good man for you, for us, and the family we will create. I will be by your side, smiling with you in good times, and wiping away your tears in the bad. I want nothing more in this world than for you to be my wife, and I will love you with all that I am. Always," he told her quietly, earnestly. Lily beamed brightly at him before glancing down at their joined hands with matching gold wedding bands.

"Wonderful," Algernon beamed happily, "By the power granted by the Ministry, it is with great joy to pronounce you husband and wife, Severus you may kiss your bride," he instructed.

Severus moved a hand to her waist, pulling her close and pressing his lips to hers as passionately as he dared with an audience, his other hand moving to her hair, his fingers running gently through the silken strands, loving the feeling of her pressed against him, her hands winding around his neck prolonging the contact. Everyone was on their feet cheering as they broke apart, Algernon had his wand in his hand, a strand of golden magic was wrapping its way around them, binding them together. Lily's cheeks had turned an adorable shade of pink under everyone's attention.

Severus linked her hand through his elbow in an attempt to behave more gentlemanly towards his wife, and lead her down the red carpeted aisle with flower petals raining at them from both sides. Their steps became more hurried as they made their way to the castle, eager for just a minute or two alone as their guests made their way up to join them. The Great Hall had been decorated with flowers, the tables set up for a meal prepared by the house elves, so they would soon be surrounded again.

Severus kissed her again as soon as they were inside, he couldn't help himself.

"You look so beautiful, Mrs Snape," he whispered in her ear, he was sure she shivered.

"You don't look too bad yourself dear husband," she whispered back, flashing a mischievous grin. He fought back a laugh, gently running his fingers over her cheek again.

"I love you," he told her again.

"I love you too, Sev," she replied, eyes sparkling with tears again, grabbing his robes and pulling him closer, their lips meeting in a very chaste kiss this time. Which was probably for the best as the flash from camera popped, catching their kiss and preserving its memory for eternity.

...

Lily couldn't stop smiling, couldn't have stopped herself even if she wanted to. Her cheeks hurt but she honestly didn't care at all. She'd never felt so happy and full of joy than she did today, and she could tell Severus felt exactly the same, the look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. She couldn't ever remember seeing him so relaxed and content, his lips curving into a soft smile for most of the day.

The ceremony had been short, simple and perfect. It had everything they needed, no rambling talks, no readings, no endless hymns. Just her and Severus, each telling the other how much they were loved and exchanging rings as a symbol of that, telling all they met in life that their heart and soul belonged to another. They didn't need anything else.

The meal prepared by the house elves – who had collaborated with James and Jess on the menu – was wonderful. Again, it wasn't elaborate fancy faire with numerous courses, just some of her and Severus' favourite foods; apparently James and Jess had made note of their choices at school feasts. She couldn't help but wonder if Dobby would make an appearance at some point this evening, though none of the elves had been seen so far, it wasn't the way they approached their role. Well, she could always suggest a trip to the kitchens before they left if Severus wanted to pay the little elf a visit.

The Great Hall was filled with quiet chatter now the remains of the food had been cleared away, the tables moved to the edge of the room to make an area in the centre large enough for them to dance. She glanced around seeing so many happy faces. Severus was stood with his mother – who was still holding the red haired toddler – and Dumbledore; James, Jess, Remus, Mary, Alice and Frank were clustered in a corner; Sirius and Regulus were talking quietly to a group of wizards setting up musical instruments; Order members milled around smiling happily. And she was stood with her parents, both of whom were beyond excited to be at Hogwarts; Dumbledore had lifted the enchantments to allow them to see what would otherwise be impossible. He'd assured her that it would be fine for a few hours and as soon as the guests left, the spells would be re-cast, shielding the castle from the eyes of Muggles once again. He'd told her that he was aware of the enchantments being lifted once in the past, though he didn't elaborate any further.

"Oh, Lily, it's all so wonderful," her mother told her again, squeezing her hand.

"Hogwarts really is beautiful," Lily agreed happily.

"As much as I wanted you to marry at the church, this really is perfect."

"It is," Lily answered with a smile.

"I never thought we'd get to see Hogwarts, and I have to admit, it's good to see where you've lived for most of the last seven years," her mother said with a chuckle.

"There is that," Lily laughed. "I just wish Petunia would have come," she added sadly.

"I know, sweetheart," her mother sighed.

"I think it could have really helped her understand things," Lily told her, though it was probably wishful thinking.

"Perhaps. But perhaps not," her mother argued.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if she saw the castle, it may have just resulted in more jealousy. It might have made all that she feels she missed out on more _real._ "

"I suppose. She wouldn't have liked being surrounded by magic, would she?" Lily conceded, accepting that was the more likely outcome.

"I don't think so," her mother said sadly.

"Do you think she'll ever come around?"

"Anything's possible. I think the best thing is to try not to push things, and be there for her is she _does_ want to open the door," her mother said. Lily nodded, agreeing that her mother was probably right. Petunia was extremely stubborn and set in her views of magic, flaunting it under her nose wouldn't help things along. All Lily could do was keep an open mind if Petunia ever approached her in the future.

"Enough of that now," her mother finally said. "Your friends obviously _do_ care about you and Severus, it's time for you all to celebrate."

"Definitely," Lily agreed, smiling brightly again as she saw Severus approaching. Dumbledore's _Sonorused_ voice sounded above all the chatter, asking for the happy newlyweds to take their place on the dance floor.

Severus stopped in front of her, giving a slight bow and offering his hand. Lily smiled brightly, blushing slightly as she placed her hand in his, his eyes never leaving hers as he lifted her hand, brushing a soft kiss on her knuckles and walking backwards as he led her onto the newly created dance floor. The Hall seemed to fall silent as he moved his other hand to her waist, holding her close; her heart was pounding so loud in her chest she was convinced he would be able to hear it.

And then the band began to play and they swayed softly to the gentle music, their eyes locked the entire time. Everything else in the world fell away as they stayed in their own little world, nothing else mattered at all except how right, how perfect everything felt at that moment. She was his and he was hers and nothing would ever change that. His lips met hers and in the gentlest kiss as the music faded, the song coming to an end. The onlookers erupted in a combination of applause and cheers at their display of affection.

"Congratulations again, Mr and Mrs Snape," Dumbledore's voice came. The next moment the dance floor was full, everyone eager to join in with the dancing as the band began another song.

"May I have this dance?" James Potter asked.

"Oh, um," she stammered, glancing at Severus. He merely smiled and placed her hand in James', taking a step backwards and watching as James took her in his arms. She felt much more uncomfortable dancing with James, particularly with the knowledge of the events the other Severus had lived through. When she had married James. She still had no idea how that had happened, she couldn't imagine it personally, even seeing firsthand how _this_ James had matured over the last year or so.

"Congratulations, Mrs Snape," James whispered as he guided her around the dance floor.

"Thank you," she answered with a grin. "And thank you for helping so much. I don't know how we would have done it all without you and Jess." James didn't answer, only gave a slight shrug and a bashful smile.

"I think it really helped Jess," he finally said. "After everything," he added. Lily nodded, smiling sadly as they fell back into an awkward silence. After a few moments he spoke again, "I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh?"

"Mmm. Have you organised a honeymoon?"

"Not really, we were just going to go back to the cottage. Eileen was thinking about staying with the Weasley's for a few days, and my Mum and Dad want to head back to their house in Cokeworth; they're still trying to decide the best way to do things, they want to sell the house and find somewhere in Godric's Hollow, up in the village."

"I had an idea, you can say no if you want to," he said, looking nervous. "My parents have a cottage in South Wales, in a rather secluded area. You could go there for a week or two, they rarely use the place. You'd have privacy, no reporters, no parents popping by. You should have a proper honeymoon," he told her, his cheeks turning faintly pink.

"James, that's very sweet of you," she said.

"You sound surprised," he laughed. "What do you think?"

"I think it sounds wonderful," she told him sincerely.

"Really?" he answered, sounding a little relieved. He let go of her then, fishing in the pocket of his robes and pulling out a silver hair comb. "This is a portkey, I had it set up just in case, it will activate at midnight, so plenty of time to enjoy the party."

"Just like Cinderella," she commented.

"Who?" he asked, frowning.

"Never mind," she laughed.

"Anyway, the kitchen is fully stocked ready for you both," he explained as he handed the comb to her.

"Thank you, James," she answered with a soft smile.

"No problem," he said, ruffling his hair nervously. "Consider it a wedding gift," he added. The music ended then, giving James the perfect opportunity to escape and return to Jess, though she looked quite happy dancing with Remus at this particular moment.

The familiar arms of her new husband wrapped around from behind her then, his head resting on her shoulder as he embraced her. She felt his warm breath tickle her cheek as he gently kissed her neck.

"What's that?" he asked, nodding towards the comb she held.

"A wedding gift from James," she answered.

"A comb?"

"A portkey to our honeymoon."

"Honeymoon, eh?" he teased.

"Apparently we need a proper one, with no reporters and no parents."

"I'm not going to argue with that," he told her as he continued to place delicate kisses on her neck. "Dumbledore had a gift for us too," he told her between kisses.

"Oh?"

"The cottage."

"The cottage?" she echoed back.

"Mmm. He says he has no desire to return to it to live in, he wants to see a family in it again," he told her.

"And you're ok with living there?" she asked. It hadn't been easy for him to settle into the cottage thanks to the memories. Severus sighed, releasing his hold slightly so she could turn to face him.

"I am. This isn't the same world, we've already made sure of that. I think we can be happy there," he told her.

"I think so too," she agreed, smiling brightly.

"Mum wants to find her own place to live, she rather likes the village too."

"And my parents still want to move there."

"We'll all be close by, maybe they'll have things organised while we're on our honeymoon," he said.

"That sounds wonderful," she sighed, it really seemed like everything was turning out perfectly now.

The rest of the evening passed by so quickly in a blur of dancing and well wishes. Through the evening she danced with Remus, Sirius, and of course, her father who was a combination of happy and sad that his _little girl_ was now a married woman. She saw Severus dancing with his mother, and Jess had somehow managed to convince him to dance with her, during which he looked more awkward than she had dancing with James. She and Severus were definitely more comfortable and more confident when they were together.

Lily had decided to include the Muggle tradition of throwing the bouquet, at which point the unmarried ladies waited patiently on the dance floor for her to toss it over her shoulder. Jess had caught the bouquet to cheers from the Marauders, and James took that opportunity to get on one knee, presenting her with a beautiful sapphire ring and ask for her hand. Jess had stood in shock clutching the flowers as what was happening finally sunk in, before throwing herself at him with an excited squeal. That provoked more applause and cheers, especially from the other Marauders. Everyone was excited there would be another wedding to look forward to in the aftermath of the war.

Jess had been thrilled to show Lily her engagement ring, still seemingly in shock over what had transpired. Severus shook James' hand, extending his congratulations on their engagement; James had blushed and ruffled his hair nervously again.

"You'll have to help me choose a dress!" Jess had told her excitedly.

"Of course, anything you need," Lily replied, more than happy to return the favour. She would help the future Mrs Potter with preparations in any way she could. With that, James and Jess were swept off by Remus and Sirius so they could express their own happiness on this turn of events. Although she couldn't help but notice that Sirius didn't linger with them for long, he put on a show of teasing the couple, clutching his chest dramatically at the pain of being replace as 'most important' in James' life, but his smile never quite reached his eyes, the pain of losing Harriet far too fresh. Fortunately Regulus had been close by, waiting with a glass of Firewhisky and the two Black brothers had spent the rest of the evening conversing quietly, though Sirius glanced at his best friend and new fiancée often, putting on his best front to cope.

The evening was almost over now, the time for bidding their guests goodnight rapidly approaching, along with the time the portkey would activate and whisk them away to a week of privacy. Though it didn't seem like anyone wanted to leave anytime soon, they were all clearly having too much fun drinking, dancing and laughing with friends.

"I guess we'll be the first ones to leave," Severus said softly as he checked his watch.

"It's only fifteen minutes until the portkey activates," Lily replied.

"Let's say goodbye then and get going," he said simply. Lily nodded, slipping her hand into his, quickly making their way from group to group, receiving more hugs, handshakes and kisses to their cheeks as they bid their goodbyes and left the Great Hall behind them.

"Five minutes," Severus said as he glanced at his pocket watch again.

"It's a shame we didn't get to see Dobby," Lily mused.

"I know," Severus said with an amused snort. A _pop_ echoed through the entrance hall then.

"Is someone calling for Dobby?" a croaky little voice asked.

"Dobby!" Severus exclaimed.

"Severus Snape! Severus Snape defeated the dark one!" the little elf exclaimed, throwing himself at Severus and clinging on to his leg. "Dobby knew Severus Snape could do it and now Dobby is free!" he virtually wailed.

"Free?" Lily asked. "I thought you worked here now."

"Dobby was free to _choose!_ Dobby chose service to the great Hogwarts!" he explained, sounding quite proud.

"I'm glad you're here Dobby," Severus said.

"Did Severus Snape need something of Dobby?" the little elf asked eagerly, glancing up with bulbous eyes, his ears flapping as he spoke.

"I just wanted to thank you for your help. I couldn't have defeated the dark one without you," Severus told him. Dobby did wail quite loudly then.

"Severus Snape is thanking Dobby?" he sobbed, before seeming to take a deep breath, pulling himself together a little bit. "Dobby was honoured to be helping Severus Snape," he told them proudly.

"I'm sorry we can't stay longer Dobby, our portkey will be leaving any second," Severus said. Dobby nodded, standing up to his full height.

"Goodbye, Severus Snape," the elf said simply.

"Goodbye, Dobby," he replied as he pulled out the comb Lily had given him earlier in the evening, and wrapped his arm around her. "I'm sure we will meet again," he added.

Lily had genuinely felt like a princess from the fairytales she read as a little girl, and truly surrounded by the magic she dreamed off in days long before Hogwarts. She'd been whisked away at midnight, just like Cinderella, and was more than eager to spend the next week completely alone with her very own Prince Charming.

 **A/N – hello all, I hope you enjoyed the wedding and glimpse at the reception, I know it's all quite fluffy (which I've found more difficult to write than the dramatic stuff), but I hope it at least made you smile. I wanted to give a little taste at where everyone was and how their lives were starting to move forwards. There are only 2 more chapters and the epilogue left now, so the end of the story is very near (sob!).**


	99. Chapter 99

Chapter 99

The morning was getting late when Severus finally woke, the bedroom bright with only light drapes at the windows rather than thick curtains. Unsurprisingly, Lily was still asleep, her head resting on his chest, an arm and leg thrown across him, her beautiful hair trailing over his arm in a tangled spread of rich, deep red.

But best of all, was the feel of her skin against his. True, they'd shared a room before, slept in the same bed before, but it had always been with night clothes on in case a parent decided to 'check on them'. So last night was the first time they'd been able to sleep so intimately pressed together with nothing coming between them.

Severus sighed with contentment, his mind blank apart from thoughts of Lily, the feel of her in his arms, how perfectly they fit together, how soft her skin was as he trailed his fingers up and down her back. He glanced around the room, taking note of their surroundings for what seemed to be the first time. Before surrendering to sleep, he couldn't have told anyone what colour the wallpaper was, or what style furniture was in the room. All his attention had been concentrated on his new wife. Now that he looked at the room it came into clearer focus, he could see that the walls were a delicate blue, the furniture a pale oak, all with a distinctly country charm to it. He could also see their clothes dotted haphazardly about the place, they hadn't taken much care when removing them, and had had very little sleep since said clothing was removed.

Severus smiled to himself as he relived the memory in his mind, closing his eyes and holding Lily tighter, still not used to how exquisite the sensation of her skin against his actually was. Lily stirred then, fidgeting at his side, before she rolled away to face the opposite wall, away from the bright light of the window. The sudden removal of her warmth gave him a slight chill, giving him no choice but to follow her, pressing himself close against her back, his hand resting on her hip as he buried his face into her sweet smelling tangle of hair.

It was clear she was waking up now, and not happy about that, she seemed restless, her feet twitching beneath the covers, groaning softly as she rubbed a hand across her face. Severus felt her squirm as he pressed a gentle kiss just below her ear, her groan of protest changing to a hum of contentment. Lily leaned herself backwards into his body, turning her head so he could kiss her lips.

"Good morning, my love," he whispered against her mouth.

"Good morning," she mumbled back. "What time is it?"

"I have absolutely no idea," he admitted, trying not to laugh.

"Really?" she asked, meeting his eyes then, clearly amused. "That's so unlike you," she teased.

"I don't care," he told her with a smirk before resting his head back onto the pillow. Lily giggled as she threaded her fingers through his.

"What do you want to do today?" she asked him as she ran her fingers lightly over his wedding ring.

"Do? Do we have to do anything?"

"Don't you want to see the area?" she asked him.

"Hmm," he pretended to contemplate, not giving any answer except another kiss to her neck.

"It is lovely here, you know," she told him, unable to keep the smile out of her voice. "My parents took us on holiday to Wales years ago, it was so pretty."

"I don't need to go to Wales to see _pretty,_ " he told her, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder this time.

"There are beaches," she told him, "and beautiful woodlands, we could go for a walk."

"Do you really want to go for a walk in the woods?" he asked her, half seriously. Lily turned in his arms to lie on her back.

"On second thoughts, I might be too tired to go for a walk," she told him, stretching like a contended cat, her eyes glinting with mischief.

"Oh?" he quizzed with a smirk.

"Mmm, yesterday was such a busy day," she told him with a grin.

"I suppose it was rather busy," he conceded. "All that dancing."

"Right. Dancing," she grinned even brighter, before closing the small gap between them, their lips meeting in a 'not quite chaste' kiss.

"So, what _do_ you want to do today?" he asked her.

"I think I'd like to get better acquainted with my husband," she told him, trying and failing to look innocent.

"Is that what we're calling it now?" he teased as she reached up to touch his cheek, pushing a few strands of hair away from his face and tucking it behind his ear.

"Shut up and kiss me," she ordered playfully.

"Yes, dear," he grinned before kissing her as instructed, shifting to press the lengths of their bodies together. He would kiss her as often as he possibly could, whenever his Lily asked it of him. He was sure she was correct, that they were in a lovely part of the country, and they would discover it eventually. But not today. Because Lily's suggestion of getting _better acquainted,_ was indeed an excellent one, and they should take this opportunity of extended time alone to do exactly that.

...

It was unsettling how quickly September 1st rolled around again. When they'd finally returned from their honeymoon there was little over a week left until their training positions commenced. The two weeks they spent at the Potter's cottage had passed so quickly, in a blur of walks, intimate dinners, and making love. And for the first time in their lives, they knew what freedom actually felt like. There were no parents to report to, no teachers instilling curfew, no reporters to hide from. No Death Eaters hunting them. And it had been absolute bliss.

When they returned to Godric's Hollow Eileen had already moved out having secured herself a small two bedroom bungalow towards the end of the lane, and even taken on a part time position at one of the local shops up in the Muggle part of the village. Her parents had been backwards and forwards between their house in Cokeworth and Godric's Hollow, the house in Cokeworth was now on the market and they had made an offer on a house in the village. They were still living in the cottage, but expected that by Christmas they would be moved out as well, leaving her and Severus alone in the cottage now that Dumbledore had gifted it to them.

Now they would be altering the wizarding world properly, as adults, taking the next steps in their career paths, and the wizarding world would be watching to see what they would do next. Though, there was only so much they could do after removing Voldemort from power. She hoped that the public wouldn't be putting too much pressure on them, waiting for them to do something amazing. The interest in both her and Severus had died down to some extent over the last month; their names still appeared in the Prophet but no longer on a daily basis. And most of the concern that Severus had been setting himself up to be the next enemy of the Light seemed to have faded. As more information was released during and after trials of the captured Death Eaters, the general public seemed to accept that Severus had done what was originally claimed, that he had gone above and beyond what could reasonably be expected of a teenager. The fact that so many Gryffindor's spoke in Severus' favour helped matters along, sad fact that it was.

There was still a lot of resentment towards Slytherins in general, thanks to the reputation that Voldemort had garnered, the fact that most of his Death Eaters had been Slytherins only added to that mistrust – even when the evidence pointed to not all of them being evil. Even when everyone knew that the war was ended by a Slytherin, and aided by another. Without Severus and Regulus, who knew how long the war would have been continued?

There was a lot of work that needed to be done to heal the psychological wounds left by the war, people needed to learn to trust again. And it was going to be a long road.

Lily looked at herself in the mirror as she pulled her hair away from her face, weaving it into a tight plait as best she could, and took in the image of herself in the lime green healer robes. She wouldn't be qualified as a healer for a few more years yet, but would be in the distinctive green from day one as a trainee. She would be working alongside a master healer, seeing patients from the start, though not every minute of the day, some of her time would be spent in a small classroom setting with the other trainees, reading, researching, learning to identify various illnesses, how to treat them, how to reverse various jinxes, treating people after potions accidents, or after being bitten by an animal or magical creature. There was so much she would have to learn. A small part of her worried she wouldn't be up to the challenge.

Suddenly Severus was behind her, his dark eyes meeting her in the mirror, his arms wrapping around her in a tight embrace.

"How do I look?" she asked nervously.

"Beautiful, as always," he answered softly.

"Even in lime green?" she asked him, some amusement creeping into her voice. That was the only drawback of her career choice, the colour of the robes wasn't the most flattering against her pale skin.

"Well, I suppose you figured out but that's why I'd never make a healer," he teased.

"Oh, so that's why you chose potions, then? The black robes?" she laughed.

"One reason," he replied, quirking an eyebrow. "Lime green really isn't _me_ ," he chuckled. "You, however, look beautiful whatever you wear," he told her again. Lily blushed at his words and the sincerity with which he uttered them. "Are you alright?" he asked softly as he noticed her apprehension.

"Mmm, I think so."

"You don't sound so sure."

"Just nervous," she tried to assure him.

"Being a healer is a big responsibility," he said. "But you can do it, you were one of the smartest in the whole school," he told her.

"Thanks, Sev," she smiled.

"I mean it," he said, kissing her cheek.

"Part of me can't believe today has come already. When we left Hogwarts we had no idea what September would bring."

"True, we could have still been in hiding," he nodded in agreement.

"Though I'm certainly glad we're not," she said, glancing at the wedding rings.

"As am I," he smiled. "Do you think you'll be able to meet me for lunch?"

"I should think so," she told him. That was one benefit of their training taking place at the same location, they'd be able to meet for lunch and share part of their day together, even though they were embarking on different career paths. Lily turned in his arms to face him, wrapping her arms around his waist and meeting his embrace, pressing her cheek against his chest. "Shall we go and see what's waiting for us out there?" she asked, pulling back to gaze into his eyes again.

"That is an excellent idea, trainee healer Snape," he told her, pressing a soft kiss against her lips, before taking her hand and leading her to the floo. It was time to start the next part of their journey and find out what the future held in store for the both of them.

...

Severus waited alone in the small windowless room for the Potions master he would apprentice under. There were a few different options for those wishing to pursue a career as a Potions master and St Mungo's was the route Severus had opted to take. True, he could have pursued an apprenticeship at an apothecary, but that would mean there was more opportunity for him to be 'put on display', as he would have been required to interact with customers. Dumbledore and Slughorn had both discussed the possibility of studying abroad, and with the way the war had been brewing it would have been an option to continue their lives in some way without hiding, but Severus had no intentions of following that route now and living apart from Lily. They'd also presented the option of apprenticing at Hogwarts under Slughorn himself. Severus had dismissed that as a possibility fairly quickly as well, really not wanting to be faced with marking first years' essays, or potentially standing in as the teacher if it was necessary. Plus, he wasn't sure how much he'd learn from Slughorn, the man preferred teaching from a book and Severus had already covered his school text in alterations and improvements.

Working and learning within St Mungo's was much more appealing, for a start it meant more time for brewing as a constant supply of certain potions were required for treating patients, and there would be more opportunities to improve those potions they worked with.

For the next three years, his days would be spent on the third floor of St Mungo's which was dedicated to Potions and Plant Poisoning. Part of the floor contained wards and private rooms for treating patients, part contained the small room he now sat in which could be used a teaching and study area; a small library specialising in Potions and Herbology; several potions labs where brewing was carried out around the clock for the hospital; and several labs where apprentices, potions masters and healers could carry out their experiments. Severus had brought his heavily altered school text book to discuss some of the experiments he'd conducted at school.

The door opened with a creak as someone entered the room; a tall man with closely cropped brown hair who looked to be a similar age to himself.

"Hello," he greeted with a nod, a faint accent as he spoke.

"Hello," Severus replied as the other man seated himself nearby.

"This is the right place for Potions apprentices?"

"It is, though I had no idea anyone else would be starting an apprenticeship today," Severus admitted. He'd assumed he was the only one, it had never been the most popular of career paths, though it hadn't been discussed during his application.

"I was undecided until quite late, where I wished to study. My parents wanted me to stay close to home."

"Well there was a war taking place here until quite recently, it's understandable they wouldn't want you to move here," Severus said cautiously. Hopefully the war ending had been the deciding factor for him moving to England, rather than he'd been planning on joining Voldemort's ranks and was just too late to do that.

"Of course," he chuckled. "My parents were caught up in the struggles against Grindelwald, they did not wish for me to get caught in a war myself," he admitted. "But that is no longer an issue, so I came," he added with a casual shrug.

"Do you know if any others are beginning today?" Severus asked him.

"I was not told. I was only told to come here today," he shrugged. Severus nodded absently, wishing the room had a window, it felt like it was going to get stuffy as time went on, especially if there were multiple occupants in the room.

The door creaked open again, both boys' eyes were fixed on the newest arrival, startling him as he noticed their attention. The boy composed himself quickly, smiling as he took another o the seats in the small room.

"Ah, Snape, good to see you again," he greeted.

"Weatherby," Severus nodded to the former Hufflepuff head boy.

"So, that was some summer wasn't it?" the boy spoke cheerily, rummaging through his bag, pulling our parchment, ink and quill.

"That's one way of putting it," Severus snorted.

"I still don't know how you managed it."

"I'm sure you read the Prophet."

"Well, yes. Dumbledore asked me, you know, earlier in the year," he said, his cheery demeanour becoming more serious. "About joining the fight, but..." he trailed off.

"But what?" Severus probed.

"I didn't think I'd cope. I was struggling to keep on top of my studies as it was," he admitted, his voice little more than a whisper.

"Well, it's not something you need to worry about now, it's done with," Severus shrugged.

"But you did it," he argued.

"There wasn't much of a choice."

"There must have been!"

"Regardless, it is over now," Severus told him, becoming more uncomfortable as time ticked on. Most of the questions had lessened over the last month, to his face at least, he knew for a fact he was still a regular topic of conversation for the wizarding world. Weatherby nodded, turning his attention back to his parchment.

"So it was you then," the stranger said. Weatherby jumped slightly, perhaps he'd forgotten Severus hadn't been alone in the room when he entered. "You are the one who defeated You Know Who?" he asked. Severus didn't answer, only rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"Yes, it was him," Weatherby answered. "I'm Michael Weatherby, by the way," he told him.

"I am Gregor Ivanov."

"Did you study at Durmstrang?"

"I did, now the war is over I moved here to study."

"If the war hadn't ended?" Weatherby enquired.

"I would have taken an apprenticeship at an apothecary close to home," he said with a shrug.

The door opened again, this time admitting a much older looking wizard with wispy grey hair, wearing brown tweed with a thin black robe thrown on over the top.

"Good morning, gentlemen," he greeted as he breezed in. "My name is Archibald Higgins, I am one of the Potions masters here at St Mungo's, you will begin your journeys with me. I understand the three of you wish to pursue a mastery, though if that changes over the course of your study, do let me know, not everyone finds themselves suited a life dedicated to the subtle art of potions," he told them. "I have heard a great deal about each of you from your Professors – especially you Mr Snape, but then I believe we've all heard much about your activities this summer." Severus frowned as the potions master continued speaking. "You already know your training will be broken down into sections, with time dedicated to academic research, writing papers and the like, time spent brewing for St Mungo's itself, and time spent conducting your own experiments based on your research," he told them. The three men nodded in response. "Excellent, well today, we'll begin with some brewing. You all received an O in your potions NEWT, so shouldn't have any trouble with today's work. I would like to observe you as you prepare your ingredients, how you treat your workstations, and of course, your technique as you actually brew – whether you are one for following the instructions precisely, or are one for following your intuition," he told them, looking each of them in the eye in turn. Severus felt slightly uncomfortable, not knowing what this Master expected of him. Slughorn had been a 'by the book' teacher, but what about Higgins? Severus was most definitely an intuitive brewer, not content with following the instructions if he felt there was a more efficient or more effective way of getting things done. "Right then, gents, if you'll make your way out to the right, third door on the left, that will be our lab for today," he said, clapping his hands. Weatherby stuffed his things quickly back into his bag, the three chairs scraping on the floor as the boys stood. Weatherby darted out the room first, definitely the most nervous of the group, closely followed by Ivanov.

Master Higgins stopped Severus has he reached the door, he met his eyes nervously.

"Don't look so worried, Mr Snape," Higgins told him quietly. "I understand from Horace that you follow your instincts when brewing."

"Yes, sir," Severus nodded.

"Then you'll make a fine Potions master," he smiled. "You won't get very far if you don't trust your skills, or trust your instincts. Intuition is vital. He tells me you brewed for the Hospital wing at Hogwarts."

"Yes, sir, and for the Order."

"You experimented?" Severus nodded in reply. "Kept notes on your findings"?

"Yes, sir," he nodded again, pulling his text book from his bag and handing it over. Higgins flipped carefully through, turning it this way and that to read his tiny writing.

"My goodness, do you even need to be here?" he chuckled. Severus fought back a blush at his praise. "You could hand this book in and receive your mastery," he said, shaking his head in amusement. "I look forward to seeing where you go next, Mr Snape," he added as he handed the book back.

"Thank you, sir."

"Now, let's catch up with the others, they'll wonder where we've disappeared off to," Higgins told him. Severus nodded, quickly heading down the corridor to the right in search of the lab. The niggling uncertainty as to whether he was in the right place for him left, now that he knew he would be encouraged to follow his instincts, he wouldn't have to hold back, only do what he felt was right in this pursuit of knowledge. This was definitely going to be an exciting journey.

...

Regulus sat at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall with students happily chatting all around him. He'd never felt so relieved to be back at school, yet so out of place. It seemed like the majority of the wizarding world had yet to completely make their minds up about his role in the war. There were those who praised him for the risks he took in bringing information to the Light, for bringing dark artefacts to Dumbledore at Snape's request. And for lying to the Dark Lord. The other group believed this tale spun by Dumbledore was a lie, a fabrication created purely to save a prominent Pureblood and member of Slytherin, so they could use him as a puppet, an example of 'good' in an otherwise evil house. They believed he was a monster. Evil. Death Eater. And should spend the rest of his days in Azkaban for those crimes.

He didn't want to be revered as some kind of hero, he just didn't want to face the looks of disgust, or have to listen to their suspicious whispers. He would just have to do all he could to ignore it, not rise to the bait and hope people grew bored and left him alone. Hope that by living his life well, with the knowledge that he did the right thing and for the right reasons, that the rest would fall into place and the judgment of others would fade into acceptance.

Regulus sighed, fiddling with the empty goblet in front of him as the chatter died down with the opening of the heavy double doors, allowing McGonagall to lead in a procession of tiny new first years to be sorted. He didn't pay any attention to it though, not really, he was too lost in his thoughts as the Sorting Hat was placed on the new children's heads. He couldn't help but think about his parents and their reactions to his freedom. They were conflicted to say the least. They remained supporters of the Pureblood agenda, they still believed they were a cut above the average wizard in the street, that the Ancient and Noble House of Black should be regarded as royalty. They believed the Dark Lord had the right idea, and told him as such when he returned to Grimmauld Place – they had been proud to offer Voldemort financial support as it had been a way of helping the 'old ways' become re-established. Pureblood ways were slowly being lost as the number of half bloods increased, as the number of Muggleborns married into Pureblood families, polluting the old bloodlines. Fools marrying for love were ruining all they held dear.

His mother in particular, was not pleased with Regulus' involvement in aiding Dumbledore. Regulus had disappointed her hugely, failed to meet her expectations. She had threatened to blast him off the family tree, just like she had Sirius, but so far hadn't actually done it. For the moment, he could still call Grimmauld Place _home,_ but he suspected much of that was due to his father's interference. He desperately wanted a Black heir, and Regulus was the only one now who could fulfil that. They didn't recognise Sirius, and his cousins were all women. Unless they wanted the House of Black extinct, they would have to accept the path Regulus had taken. It had made for a tense summer, and after his release from the Ministry, they had barely acknowledged him, Kreacher was the only one within the home who spoke to him. He didn't plan on returning home during the school holidays this year, he could only hope that the extended time apart would help them move forwards, with less animosity once the school year was over.

With the tension at home, he'd spent much of his time with Sirius and his friends. It was surprising how their relationship had altered once he'd been released from the Ministry. Sirius made it clear he was proud of him, and that meant more to him than he expected it to. For years he'd thought Sirius to be an idiot, throwing everything his parents had done for him, back in their faces. It was maturity and seeing the horrors of war for himself that taught him that he and his brother were actually on the same side. True, Sirius could be a bit of an idiot, but he was certain he could say the same about himself, or any other teenage boy for that matter, and that was ok. Regulus made sure he was there to support his brother, and Sirius had been there to support him in return. He had no doubt they would continue this new path once he left Hogwarts, they would both make the effort now they saw each other for what they truly were.

Dumbledore's voice interrupted his thoughts then, the Sorting now over, he gave his usual welcoming sentiments to those returning and those beginning their journey's; warned them away from the Forbidden Forest; and suggested they check Filch's list of banned items, which consisted mainly of Zonko's items, before moving on to the introduction of staff members. Regulus finally glanced up at the teachers table, taking in the familiar faces of Slughorn, Flitwick, Sprout, Trelawney, even Professor Ainscott had returned to teach Defence. Regulus had no idea how long it had been since a Defence teacher had returned to teach a second year. It was oddly comforting, in a way he didn't understand in the slightest.

Regulus gasped as he noticed the woman at the end of the table. For a split second he was convinced it was Bellatrix, even knowing that if she'd survived the war there was no way on earth she would be allowed anywhere near children. A second look confirmed it was not her, her features were softer, her hair not quite black – still dark but not as wild. Bellatrix's sister, Andromeda who had been subjected to his mothers wand when she was blasted from the Black family tree. She was seated with a pink haired toddler in her lap, with a cheerful looking man in the seat beside her. He'd never seen the man before, but given the looks between the three of them, there was no doubt this was the Muggleborn Andromeda had run away with.

"And we are introducing a new teaching department this year," Dumbledore said. "Running alongside our Muggle studies course. These classes are compulsory this year for all years, to give current students an understanding in this particular area. Much of the recent war was based upon misunderstandings, on the belief that we are different from each other based on our blood and our birth. This new department will seek to give you all an understanding of the range of backgrounds we have come from – whether Pureblood, half blood or Muggleborn. We should all celebrate our heritage, share those things which make us who we are, learn from each other and become stronger, better than we were before. We must understand each other so we do not fall victim to another misunderstanding. I would like to introduce Andromeda and Ted Tonks, who have unique experiences to share with you all, and much to teach you about as we move forwards," Dumbledore beamed at them all.

Yes, they did need to learn. It wasn't just about Purebloods accepting Muggleborns; Muggleborns needed to know more about the history of the world they were joining on a personal level, not just the subjects Binn's chose to drone on about. Goblin Wars had little to do with day to day life. Andromeda and Ted had opposite backgrounds – one raised by the House of Black, the other raised by Muggles. They had overcome much to be together, and would have much wisdom to impart. It was going to be an interesting year at Hogwarts, to say the least. And hopefully his hardest challenge would be making it through his NEWT's.

 **A/N – First, thank you so much to Vyconstrictor for the cover art for the story, I really appreciate you taking the time to do that.**

 **Second – Apologies for the delay again, it seems my heart is having trouble wrapping things up, it doesn't want to say 'goodbye' to the story. After this chapter there is only 2 more updates to go**

 **Third – My brain has been throwing lots of new ideas at me (instead of focussing on this story), so there will be more to come from me when this one is over. I have a few ideas for short stories set in this Universe, including a Christmas one which I hope to have completed in time. I also have an idea for another 'big' story, but will be much darker, and not friendly towards Dumbledore or the Marauders at all (another Snily, because that's my ship). At the moment I have a lot of ideas for it but will take me a while to plan, I'll definitely need a beta for it, to help keep me on track on to help my writing improve as currently I'm not sure my writing style is right for it.**

 **Take care everyone, see you soon x**


	100. Chapter 100

Chapter 100

One year. Tomorrow would mark one year since Voldemort had fallen.

How on earth did time pass so quickly? It must be some sort of twisted joke by the universe. There couldn't possibly be another explanation. His miserable childhood had seemed to drag on almost endlessly, each day bled into the next, each day the same. No primary school attendance for him, his mother had insisted on home schooling as was traditional for a wizard. That was all fine while his father was out of the house – either at work or in one of the local pubs, drinking away his wages rather than providing for his 'freak' family members. When his father _was_ in the house, he had to be quiet, silent as a shadow, doing nothing to draw attention to himself and find himself subjected to his father's abuse.

He thought those days would last forever. And he didn't fare much better during his first few years at Hogwarts. He'd quickly found himself the object of almost everyone's taunts. The other Slytherins looked down on him for his poverty and half blood status, until his intelligence became a desirable trait to _acquire_. The group of Gryffindors hated him on sight, on the train, for nothing more than whispering the word _Slytherin._ That one sentence mapping his future in the most ridiculous way, prejudice in one form or another dictating his whole life. And he'd almost succumbed, almost became exactly what everyone expected him to be. If it wasn't for the memories. If it wasn't for Lily.

Now he was happy. He had almost everything he could possible want in his life. Lily was steadfastly by his side, his wife of almost a year. His first year as an apprentice was almost done and he was attracting praise and attention for his research; he had enough gold in his Gringott's vault to take care of his and Lily's needs, he no longer had to wear second hand, ill fitting clothes. He had the admiration of the wizarding world for his role in removing Voldemort. He just wished that time would slow down again so he could enjoy it all. He was worried that the rest of his life would be over in a blink, and that really didn't seem fair. Why couldn't these days feel endless too?

He shifted uncomfortably again, glancing down at the gold medal hanging around his neck, the solid weight of it resting in the centre of his chest. Today had been the ceremony for the Order's of Merlin. There had been much debate since Voldemort fell as to when they should be awarded, and whether it should be a public or private affair. For the first few months, the Ministry was almost entirely focused on the trials of the Death Eaters they had in custody, and the attempts to track down the ones they knew were still missing. From the beginning, there had been a call for the ceremony to be a public celebration – much to Severus' dismay – everyone wanted the opportunity to see their heroes. As Christmas came and went, along with the New Year, it was decided that the anniversary of his defeat would be the perfect opportunity for the event.

Fortunately for the wizarding world, the anniversary fell at a weekend, a Sunday, so the ceremony took place on the Saturday afternoon, followed by an elaborate dinner and party which could go as far into the night as they desired, conveniently giving partygoers Sunday to recover and not interfere with work first thing Monday morning.

So many Order's of Merlin had been given out this afternoon, the majority of them second class to those members of the Order who had fought in the battle at Godric's Hollow, including several awarded posthumously. A handful had been first class Order's. Naturally Dumbledore had been awarded a first class Order of Merlin for co-ordinating and leading the Light against the Death Eaters, and for protecting the Muggle village from the battle. Lily's award was first class, due to her role in helping destroy the Horcruxes – most significantly the snake she beheaded after the sword of Gryffindor presented itself to her. Severus himself had been awarded a first class Order for his work with Dumbledore and actually being the one to strike the final blow against Voldemort. And most pleasingly to Severus, Regulus had been awarded a first class Order too. His role had been dangerous and he'd volunteered for it knowing just how risky it would become. It felt like wonderful symmetry. Of the four first class Order's of Merlin awarded, two were to Gryffindor's and two were to Slytherin's, putting the two most notoriously opposed Houses on equal footing. Another step towards the end of House prejudice.

Now, the ceremony and dinner were over and the large ballroom was filled with groups and couples mingling, chatting happily, soft music providing a backdrop to everything. The room was decorated with flowers wrapping around the supporting pillars, with bunting and streamers in shades of silver and gold. If not for the flowers it would looks almost festive. Severus stood alone for the moment, Lily was talking quietly with Alice and Jess, her own medal around her neck, the rich green ribbon it hung on contrasting with the pale green of her dress. The other girls were admiring it, comparing it to the second class Order's that hung on the purple ribbons draped around their own necks. His mother was standing, confidently speaking with Molly, Gideon and Fabian; Arthur had taken the children home after the ceremony. Regulus and Sirius were huddled together comparing medals, their mother casting disapproving glances at her two sons, their father seeming torn between attempting to pacify his wife and the desire to go and stand with the decorated young men. Dumbledore was talking to Minister Minchum, two elderly wizards Severus recognised from Order meetings beside them, nodding animatedly as Dumbledore spoke, a small purple hat wobbling atop the head of one of the men.

"Alright there, mate?" James Potter's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

"Quite," Severus answered with a nod. "Thank you," he said as James handed him a glass of Firewhisky.

"Congratulations," James said as he gestured towards the medal.

"And to you," Severus returned, sipping the Firewhisky, trying not to grimace as it burned the back of his throat. "So, are you getting nervous yet?" Severus asked, it was less than a month now until James and Jess were due to be married.

"Nah," James laughed. "What's there to be nervous about?"

"Nothing at all," Severus answered with a smirk. He hadn't been nervous in the slightest.

"Although, I do think you had the right idea."

"About what?"

"No big build up, let everyone else plan it," he almost whispered, afraid of being overheard.

"You could have done that," Severus pointed out.

"Are you kidding? My parents would have killed me, never mind Jess!" he laughed.

"So you're getting roped into all the decision making then?"

"Urgghh," James groaned, "I mean, did you care what flowers were on the tables?" he asked. Severus shook his head. "Or what colour sashes were on the chairs?"

"Why would I?"

"Exaclty!" James sighed.

"Then tell them to choose," Severus laughed.

"I tried that, then I get accused of not caring! I can't bloody win!"

"It'll be fine. You just need to get through the next three weeks, then you'll have the rest of your lives together."

"Yeah, yeah, big picture," James muttered, shaking his head. "If I survive the next three weeks," he added dramatically.

"You survived a war, I'm sure you can survive a few discussions about shades of purple," Severus teased, "or lilac, or lavender, or mauve," he smirked. James rolled his eyes.

"Some help you are," he muttered. "See you later, Shadow," he huffed.

"Shadow?" he quizzed. He really wished the attempt to give him a nickname would end, along with the attempts to convince him to learn to become an animagus so they could better name him.

"Well, you're always hanging about in the shadows, seems fitting," he shrugged.

"Bit on the nose, don't you think?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Speaking of noses, could always call you _Beaky,_ " James teased, ducking his head in anticipation of a swat. Severus rolled his eyes, taking another sip of the amber whisky.

"Well it's better than Snivellus," he muttered with a shake of his head.

"You know we're sorry about that, Severus," James said quietly, the joking tone fading from his voice.

"I know, I don't know why you can't just call me _Severus._ "

"Because you're one of us now," James pointed out.

"Oh joy," Severus drawled sarcastically.

"I don't know why you don't become an animagus, you might become something amazing, like a tiger."

"Oh, so you could call me _Stripes,_ or something equally witty," Severus suggested, rolling his eyes yet again, he did that a lot around James Potter. "Knowing my luck, I'll probably become the bat you always accused me of being and I'll be stuck with you calling me Dracula."

"Nah, we'd at least make it something cool like _Nightwing,_ or something," James shrugged. "Though you strike me as more of a crow or raven, something like that."

"Nevermore," Severus responded drily. James snorted in amusement, before suddenly attempting to hide behind Severus. "What on earth are you doing, Potter?"

"Oh, Merlin, hide me," he whispered.

"Hide you? From what? Or who?"

"My Mum, she's going to start on about flowers again, I barely escaped the last discussion," he said, ducking low behind Severus' back.

"For heaven's sake, just tell them you like roses and have done with it!" Severus snapped, attempting to twist round and grab the other boy and stop this ridiculous game of hide and seek.

James managed to avoid Severus' grasp, twisting away from him, wandering quickly away, muttering something that sounded vaguely like _'some bloody help there'_ before Severus lost sight of him in the crowd.

"What was that about?" Severus turned to find Lily beside him again.

"Oh, wedding stuff."

"Wedding stuff?" Lily laughed.

"Mmm, he's worried he won't survive the planning."

"Ah yes, well Jess does have a very _specific_ idea of what she wants."

"Then why doesn't she just organise it herself then?"

"Because she wants him to want the same thing."

"Well that makes much more sense," Severus muttered sarcastically. "He'll like whatever she chooses, whatever makes her happy."

"But that's not the same," she pointed out, before laughing at the expression on his face. "I've left Alice and Jess talking weddings, I'm all 'wedding'd out.'"

"Ah yes, Alice is getting married soon too," Severus nodded slowly.

"Mmm, in December," Lily confirmed. "All they talk about is weddings. And babies."

"Babies?"

"Molly and Arthur's twins didn't really help there, they're just so cute."

"They're terrors now they're walking, Mum says their poor cat doesn't stand a chance," Severus pointed out. He couldn't argue the two boys had been sweet chubby babies, but now they were toddlers and their cherubic faces lulled others into a false sense of security. There were trouble. And doubly so.

"I'm betting there'll be baby news not long after the weddings," Lily said quietly

"But they've still got training to finish."

"Mmm, Jess has already looked into whether she could take a gap in training if she fell pregnant. They've told her she can return at any time should that be necessary. James' parents are quite old, so I think they want them to at least have the chance to meet a grandchild."

"I see," Severus nodded slowly. "What about Alice?"

"She'd switch to office work, there's always paperwork that needs to be done in the Auror office."

"Well, I guess they know what they're doing," he said quietly. Having children wasn't something they'd really discussed yet, they were both focused on their training, something that was important to both of them. "So you think they'll be having babies soon?"

"Within the year, I'll bet," Lily answered.

"I'll take that bet," Severus teased, a slow grin spread across Lily's features.

"And if I lose?" she asked.

"I'm sure we can work out the details at a later date," he suggested, leaning close to whisper in her ear, feeling pleased as he felt her shiver.

"Deal," she whispered in return. Oh, this could be fun...

...

Lily sat cradling the tiny newborn in her arms, a sweet little boy with the faintest wisps of dark hair, fast asleep, held close against the warmth of the chest. The second little boy born in as many days to her friends.

Jess was fast asleep, the exhaustion of labour and delivery had caught up with her, all other visitors had been evicted from the room so she could rest peacefully before Harry woke again in search of his next feed. For the moment, Lily was content to cuddle Harry James Potter close, enjoying the new baby smell. For the other Lily, the one the other Severus knew, this baby would be hers.

Part of her couldn't imagine becoming a mother so young, but couldn't deny the pang of longing she felt, the desire for her and Severus to share that experience. But there was still one year left of her training and she was determined she would complete it before they had a baby of their own. Until then, she would steal snuggles from _this_ Harry, with his father's dark hair and his mother's blue eyes, whenever it was possible for her to do so. And of course there was Alice's new baby to cuddle too. Neville. Her godson, a chubby bald cutie she could dote on.

It seemed everyone was having babies. Even Molly had had another just a few short months ago, just as Severus told her he'd deduced from the memories. He'd said there was a Weasley the same age as Harry Potter. So much of what the memories revealed remained the same, unchanged by any of the actions they'd taken. That both comforted and unnerved her.

It was reassuring to know that those children born in the other version of existence, were being born in the reality they now knew. But Severus had never had children. The other Severus had spent his life alone, completely and utterly, becoming the perfect spy. All in order to bring down Voldemort. What if he wasn't destined to have children at all? She wished the other Severus had answered her more clearly. She'd told him she didn't need to know what the future held, perhaps she'd decided that too quickly. From his teasing it seemed as though they did have a family of their own, but she couldn't be entirely certain. Was she now destined to watch as her friends created families? Would she always be the godmother? The aunt? Even Petunia had had the child she and Vernon wanted, a chubby blonde boy, who according to her mother screamed almost constantly. She'd never met Dudley, though she'd asked. Petunia wasn't keen on having 'freaks' near their precious son. On that front, she had to make do with sending gifts via her mother. She still had a shred of hope that Petunia would talk to her again one day, though that shred was now tiny and getting smaller with each week and month that passed.

Lily sighed, running her fingertips lightly over Harry's soft tufts of hair before stroking his cheek. The door opened then almost silently, the glow of light from the corridor landing on Harry making him squirm in her arms. Severus slipped into the room, closing the door quickly behind him, before crouching in front of them, reaching to delicately touch the baby's cheek.

"Are you ready to go?" he whispered.

"When Harry wakes up," she whispered back. Severus nodded, moving into a chair beside her, slipping his arm around her shoulder.

"He's very cute, isn't he?" Severus remarked gently. Lily glanced up at him, smiling softly. "For a Potter, I mean," he added.

"He is," Lily agreed.

"You lost your bet, though."

"You're holding me to that?"

"You said 'within the year.'" He reminded her.

"So I was a couple of days out," she protested. Little Harry started squirming again, his head turning towards her chest in search of food. "I think he's hungry," she commented.

"Seems that way," Severus agreed. Lily carefully stood, adjusting him in her arms so she could free a hand, gently touching Jess' shoulder. Jess' tired eyes blinked in confusion for a moment before settling on the baby.

"He's getting hungry," Lily whispered.

"Thanks, Lily," Jess said as she sat herself up against the pillows and unbuttoning her night shirt before reaching for Harry. Lily helped her settle Harry on her breast before excusing herself, offering her congratulations again and promising to send James in now she was awake.

"So what do I have to do then?" she asked Severus as they began the trek up to the tea room in search of James.

"Oh, not much," he answered casually, threading his fingers through hers.

"No clues?" she teased.

"Only that I want you to myself for a few days."

"A few days?"

"Mmm, as soon as we get home, we're packing and going on a little holiday," he stated, matter of fact.

"Are we now?" she laughed. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere beautiful."

"You know, I think I'm glad I lost this bet."

"Me too," he grinned in response. That search for James Potter needed to end as soon as possible.

...

Lily groaned as the alarm started jingling, she really didn't want to wake up this morning. The only plus side was that today was Friday, just one more day to get through and the weekend would be here. With any luck, she could sleep the entire thing away.

The jingling stopped as Severus cancelled the alarm, and his arm slipped around her waist, the warmth of his body pressing against her back.

"Lily," he whispered. Lily grunted in response. "Come on, just today to get through."

"I'm awake," she groaned as he kissed her cheek.

"Are you alright?"

"Mmm, just tired," _still,_ she added mentally.

"Well, your workload has increased over the last few months," he pointed out. Which was true, this final year of training had been much more 'hands on' than the previous two, most of her days were spent on her feet rushing around. Some days with barely a moment to use the loo, never mind actually eat or drink something.

"So has yours, and you're fine!" Lily snapped.

"I'm not running about from patient to patient, most of my days are spent in one place."

"Maybe I'm not cut out for this," she sighed.

"Of course you are, things will settle down. It will be better when you don't have the exams to study for."

"Mmm," she mumbled, not entirely believing him.

"I'll go and make breakfast," he told her. "Is there anything in particular you'd like?"

"I'm not hungry," she said miserably.

"You need to eat something, going without won't help when you're tired," he pointed out. Lily sighed in annoyance, feeling like a child being told off.

"I'm still not hungry," she snapped at him, before groaning and rubbing her head, the beginnings of a headache already starting to form behind her eyes. It was going to be a very long day. Severus didn't say another word as he slipped from the bed, the door closing quietly behind him as he left the room. Lily sighed again, this was not a good start to the day, she just couldn't stop herself snapping at him, even though he was trying to help, to take care of her.

After a few more minutes lying in the darkness she finally threw back the covers, the way she felt it was entirely likely she'd fall back to sleep if she didn't start moving. Just today to get through to begin with, then just five more months until training was done. Oh god, five months might as well be five years at this point. Even five hours seemed like too big an obstacle. And those pillows looked so inviting. No. Up, onwards, keep going, keep moving, it would all be fine. Maybe she'd convince herself of that if she repeated it in her head often enough.

Five minutes later she was up and mostly ready, her lime green robes on (though they seemed unnaturally bright this morning, her brewing headache found the tone most offensive), but her hair was still in disarray. She definitely needed tea before she had the energy to tackle her tangled waves into her usual plait.

Severus was sat at the kitchen table sipping coffee when she entered the room, a pot of tea set in front of her usual place, along with some toast. She attempted to smile as he met her eyes, his cautious look turning to concern as he saw her.

"Are you sure you're alright, Lily?" he asked, bracing himself for her reaction.

"I'm just tired," she sighed, trying not to snap at him as she took her seat, reaching to pour herself some tea.

"I don't think it's just that, you look rather pale."

"I'm always pale!" she snapped, failing to stop herself.

"A different kind of pale, _ill_ pale," he clarified.

"Oh," she sighed, frowning as she reached for the little jug of milk.

"Maybe you picked something up at work, you are in close proximity to ill patients, especially on the second floor."

"That's true," she conceded, it was entirely possible to have caught some kind of illness when every day was spent in a hospital, must be a hazard of the job. "Urgghh," she groaned, spitting her sip of tea back into the cup. "I think the milk is off," she said, wrinkling her nose.

"It tastes fine to me," Severus shrugged indicating his coffee.

Lily sniffed the little milk jug, wrinkling her nose further.

"It's off, smell it!" she ordered, thrusting the jug in his direction.

"Lily, it's fine, trust me," he said, looking almost amused. "I think it's just more evidence that you are not well. Aversion to dairy is quite common with certain illnesses, is it not?"

"Alright, fine, maybe I'm not entirely well," she agreed, crossing her arms stubbornly, frowning in annoyance.

"You should stay at home and rest."

"No, I'll talk to one of the healers when I get to work," she told him. Either way she would be fine, it wasn't likely to be serious anyway. All she needed was a potion or two to help with the headache, and perhaps something for the nausea that was now building thanks to the dubious milk.

...

She really was too stubborn for her own good. She was clearly ill in some capacity, but would she listen to reason? Would she stay at home and get the sleep she clearly needed? No, of course not. She didn't want to let the others down. Never mind she'd be more use to them well rested and generally, just _well._

Lily's exhaustion had been getting steadily worse all week, as had the headaches. And the snapping, he was starting to get nervous making any suggestions at all for fear of having his head bitten off. He knew it was all related to the tiredness. A tired Lily was an unhappy Lily at any time, but combined with the headaches and workload, he didn't really expect a different response. All that and throwing in her lack of appetite and her insistence there was something off about the milk all lead to it being quite obvious she wasn't well. It really was obvious. Perhaps some kind of sleeping sickness. Or maybe a migraine due to being run down. Yes, that was most likely.

Severus forced himself to keep his attention on his books and the research he was conducting, rather than dwell on Lily's possible illness, especially now he'd reassured himself there was nothing sinister going on. He was doing quite well with his books, his notes growing as he flipped through the pages, until the door opened and Master Higgins marched in.

"Ah, Severus, I've just received a message, you're needed down on floor two."

"Floor two? What could they possibly need me for?" Severus asked, utterly perplexed at that statement.

"It seems your lovely wife has taken a bit of a poorly turn," Higgins explained.

"I knew she was ill, I told her to stay at home," he muttered, pushing himself away from the desk, books and parchment abandoned as he tried to push away the growing panic.

"I'm sure she's fine, this is probably just a precaution," the old wizard told him. "Go on down to her, I don't expect you back today."

"Thank you, Sir," Severus mumbled quickly, dashing from the room and round to the stairs, almost flying down the single flight of steps to the floor below, his black robe billowing behind him.

Severus headed for the main desk, but one of the healers was already waiting for him. Healer Jenkins, Lily's mentor, smiling softly.

"Is she alright?" Severus whispered, unable to shake the frown from his face.

"Quite alright. This way," she told him, leading him down a corridor and into a side room. Lily appeared to be sleeping peacefully, still looking too pale, especially against the stark white sheets.

"What happened?" Severus asked.

"She told me first thing she wasn't feeling quite right, a bit tired, a bit _off,"_ the healer said. "There didn't seem to be much concern, likely a response to being overworked. But a little later she fainted, in the office, she said she felt a bit warm, and then she was gone."

"I told her she wasn't well, I told her to stay at home and rest," Severus said quietly. But then, she would have been at home alone and if there was something wrong...

"Naturally, I ran a few more in depth diagnosis spells, concentrating on something a bit more specific."

"Specific? So you know what's wrong? Will she be ok?" he asked, feeling more panicked.

"Yes," she said, looking amused again. "There's nothing _wrong_ , and given time she's going to be perfectly fine," the healer said.

"How much time? Did she pick something up at work?"

"I'd wager this is something she picked up _at home,"_ Jenkins said, raising an eyebrow. Severus rubbed his forehead as his eyes glanced over Lily's sleeping form.

"At home," he said, more in statement than in question.

"And she'll be fine in around about, oh, say eight months or so," she said, he could hear the smile in the woman's voice.

Severus nodded slowly as it finally slotted into place, his throat going dry as he lowered himself into the chair by her bed.

"So, she's..." he trailed off, glancing up at Healer Jenkins again.

"Yes, she's pregnant, Severus," she told him. "Due around the 10th of October. Congratulations."

"But she's alright?" he asked again.

"She's fine. Just a combination of pregnancy hormones and work catching up with her. Are _you_ alright?"

"Me? Perfectly fine," he said, echoing Lily's words from that morning, attempting to smother the grin that wanted to spread across his face.

"In that case, I'll leave you two alone. I'm sure she'd like to hear it from you when she wakes."

Severus nodded as Healer Jenkins left the room. As soon as the door closed, he burst into laughter. He was going to be a father, and he'd had no idea just how wonderful that thought would feel.

 **A/N – hello all! Apologies for the delay, it's been a crazy week for me, my youngest son turned 4 yesterday and demanded a cake in the shape of a pirate ship, so much baking was done! And today I found out my eldest son is going to have a poem published in an anthology. He entered a nationwide poetry competition through school for the Young Writer's awards and was one of the winners, so it's quite exciting. He's only 8 bless him and is so excited to have been chosen.**

 **I've also been trying to figure out exactly how to write the final chapter, this was supposed to be the last one before the epilogue, but it hasn't worked out that way I'm afraid. I was having so much fun writing all the fluff (blame my Hufflepuff heart), so there will be another chapter to go before the epilogue. See you all soon**


	101. Chapter 101

Chapter 101

In many ways it felt like a huge relief, as much as he hated to admit it, even just to himself. His mother had been a bitter woman even on her best days, but she'd always been his mother. Until the war, at least. It had changed her in ways Regulus couldn't have possibly predicted. It had changed everyone in some way; he'd changed more than anyone else he'd met. He'd gone from prejudiced Pureblood, marked Death Eater, to a spy with the knowledge that everything Voldemort stood for meant nothing at all. Every belief that monster held had been flawed at best. At the end of the day, Regulus knew that how you labelled blood was meaningless; magic was magic. Walburga Black could not accept that at all, she was waiting for a new champion, clung on to the hope that the escaped Death Eaters would one day carry on the Dark Lord's _noble work._ If the escapees had had even the tiniest shred of sense or self preservation, they'd have fled abroad when they'd managed to evade the round-up after the final battle; that was entirely likely given the fact that there had still been no sign of them almost three years later.

Even Barty Crouch Junior vanished after he left Hogwarts last summer; the Crouch family name had been reported on in the Daily Prophet on more than one occasion. One of the last acts Harold Minchum carried out as Minister was to remove Crouch Senior as Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, moving him instead to the Department for Magical Games and Sports, which saw him becoming increasingly bitter and much harder for others to be around. Crouch Junior had pretty much kept to himself for the remainder of his time at Hogwarts, keeping his head down and concentrating on his NEWT's, the other students giving him a wide berth even though he was never convicted of anything; he'd shrugged off any attempts by Regulus to bridge the gap during the year they shared there. As soon as the school year was complete, Barty disappeared and Regulus couldn't help but wonder if it was to seek out the Death Eaters still unaccounted for, perhaps to persuade them to continue the _cause._ With Barty's disappearance reported, it was apparent the boy's mother was distraught and the tiny, frail looking woman quickly succumbed to the heartbreak of losing her only son, and passed away quietly just before Christmas.

Or maybe after everything, the war hadn't changed his mother at all. Perhaps her inability to move on had actually been the problem.

Regulus had hoped that she would come around and view things differently, and that she'd be proud of his involvement, the risks he'd taken and the fact that he'd been awarded an Order of Merlin for it. But it wasn't enough. She couldn't overcome her narrow frame of view of the world, and as time went on, she spoke to him less and less. For that, Regulus was sad, but he knew there had been no changing her mind. She was as stubborn as they came, and seeing the wizarding world growing more tolerant, more inclusive, only pushed her further into her miserable mind. She hated how low the wizarding world had fallen.

Now though, she was dead, and he felt as though a weight had left his shoulders. There would be no more trying to win her approval; that would never have come however hard he tried. Now he wouldn't feel guilty for the relationship he'd built with Sirius – which had only become another thing for her to resent him for. She made it clear her eldest son would never be welcome in her home or life, he would always be a disappointment, and never truly be a _Black._

His father was another matter entirely. He'd taken tentative steps towards improving matters between them and he'd eagerly listened to news of Sirius (away from the listening ears of Walburga, it would not have done for him to incur her wrath). His father's close experience with death had given him a greater appreciation for both his sons, as he understood how short life truly was; only the fact that Regulus had been by his side when his father took ill had saved his life. Regulus could only hope that now his mother was gone, his father would take the next step in forging an actual relationship with Sirius.

"She's gone then?" Sirius asked as soon as Regulus stepped through the doors of the Leaky Cauldron.

"She is," Regulus confirmed with a nod. He followed as Sirius turned and made his way to the bar, climbing onto one of the stools and gesturing to the girl behind the bar for two shots of Firewhisky. Sirius threw his back in one, not even flinching before handing his glass back for a refill.

"Good. Miserable old hag," he stated with much less venom that Regulus expected. Regulus sighed. "No, don't give me that, she's been a right harpy to you as well, Reg."

"I can't argue that," Regulus snorted, finally taking a sip from his glass, both of them lapsing into silence.

"Are you going to move back home?" Sirius finally asked.

"I hadn't really thought about it," he admitted with a shrug. Regulus had moved out of Grimmauld Place the summer after he left Hogwarts and moved in with Sirius; which seemed to work out well given that Potter married that year. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"Like I could," Sirius snorted.

"You could always move _Astrid_ in with you if you didn't have me lurking about the place," Regulus teased.

"There is that," Sirius replied, stroking his chin in a show of fake contemplation.

It had taken some time for Sirius' emotional wounds to start healing after losing Harriet in the war, but a year ago, he'd met someone; an American witch by the name of Astrid Hambles, with mocha skin and rich brown eyes and hair. She seemed sweet and innocent at first, but she had a sharp sense of humour and love of mischief. Regulus had made her acquaintance at the Department of International Cooperation, where he'd gone to work after leaving Hogwarts, and just knew she'd be perfect for his brother. He'd introduced the pair soon after, and Astrid had turned out to be exactly what the Healer ordered for Sirius, and now a year down the line, it was clear they would soon want to take their relationship forwards another step.

"Well, in that case you'd definitely be gaining a much more attractive roommate," Regulus laughed.

"Right, that settles it then, when can you move out?" Both chuckled as the downed the remainders of their drinks, though silence quickly fell on them again as a figure approached them, standing behind them at the bar. Regulus glanced over his shoulder to meet the eyes of his father.

"Boys," he greeted.

"Father," Regulus acknowledged. Sirius said nothing but his shoulders slumped as the older man's arrival seemed to dampen his jovial mood.

"Sirius, we should talk," his father said simply.

"Talk?" Sirius snapped, whipping round on his stool, stormy grey eyes meeting his father's cool ones. "Why now?"

"You know why," his father answered.

"Oh, so now the old bat's croaked, now you'll talk to me!"

"It's not that simple, Sirius."

"Of course it is! You could have put your foot down with her! You didn't have to let her kick me out! Disown me! Blast me off the tree! But do you know what? I don't care!" he snapped, though it was obvious to everyone he did.

"Marriages don't work that way."

"No, there's supposed to be compromise, isn't there? Did she accept anything you told her? Did she sacrifice for you?"

"She wouldn't have listened," his father said calmly.

"But you could have tried!" Sirius shouted. "She would have gladly watched as Voldemort burned the world to the ground, till nothing but ashes and Pureblood's remained! Anyone with half a brain could see that's wrong! We fought to keep everyone safe, Reg fought, and that made no difference whatsoever, did it?"

"Not to her, but it did to me."

"You still haven't talked to me since the war ended though, have you?"

"She would have made things extremely difficult, not just for us personally, but in the papers. Our names would have been dragged through the mud."

"No they wouldn't, we did nothing wrong!" Sirius argued. Their father sighed, nodding slowly.

"Perhaps," he finally conceded. "But I was hoping we could move forwards. She died bitter and lonely, the only being to truly mourn her is Kreacher. I do not wish to make the same mistakes," he admitted.

"It's going to take time. I'm happy now, my training is almost finished, I have good friends, I have a girlfriend. I have a life," Sirius told him calmly.

"I will fit in with what you need of me," his father said quietly. Regulus caught the attention of the barmaid again, gesturing for three shots, handing one each to his brother and father.

"To a fresh start," Regulus proposed.

"A fresh start," Sirius echoed.

"A fresh start," his father agreed. The three men clinked their glasses and downed their shots, and Regulus felt hopeful that the relationships here were still salvageable. The House of Black would go on, with a fresh start.

...

Remus shuffled through the stack of parchment on his desk, sighing as he came across the reports of yet another attack. Fenrir Greyback. One man trying to single-handedly destroy the lives of as many families as possible. The same way his life had been destroyed as a boy. No child should have to go through something as traumatic as being bitten by a werewolf, experience the terror of an enormous beast looming over them, not knowing if they would be bitten, killed, kidnapped. The pain of being bitten, the burning of infected saliva coursing through their blood, being left for dead. And that wasn't the worst of it. Then having to grow up (providing they survived the attack), experience the pain of transforming into a beast, of being constantly in a state of exhaustion, and live with the knowledge that they were dangerous, could hurt people while they were transformed and they would remember everything they'd done once they were human again. The mental torture was worse than the initial attack.

In a twisted way, Greyback seemed to think that being a werewolf was a blessing, and he was bestowing a _gift_ on those he cursed. The last two full moons had seen attacks on the children of two families with ties to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Remus was glad he didn't have any children, or significant other that Greyback could attack in retaliation for his work. Remus had been in the Magical Creatures department since he left Hogwarts, working alongside established offices to help improve the lives of known werewolves. The colleagues he worked closely with knew of his situation and were sworn to secrecy – it would have been impossible to keep his condition a secret in any department, but at least here they seemed to appreciate that he could give them a unique viewpoint. His traumatic experiences could be used to help things moved forward. Tackle this prejudice step by step, though this would be a much harder battle than the one fought against blood purity. But the war had taught him he should and could fight those battles because it was the right thing to do.

With these attacks, he would be liaising with the families, acting as a mediator between them and the Ministry for a safe place to transform, and for their identities to remain out of the Daily Prophet. Attacks had been reported, and that Greyback was wanted in relation to them, but details were kept secret. Secrecy was of the utmost importance if these children were to stand any chance of living a remotely normal life, just as he had done.

Remus was also working alongside Newt Scamander in the classification of werewolves. Scamander had already accomplished the abolishment of the werewolf register – which had been intrusive and far too accessible and at risk of being abused. Now they wanted the classification adjusted. The debate had been ongoing for what was almost an eternity, as to what a werewolf actually was. Beast or Being? And the Ministry, in all its wisdom had decided it was a Beast. In Remus' opinion that view was grossly unfair, he couldn't argue he wasn't a Beast with each full moon, but the remainder of the time he was a man. His monthly transformation shouldn't define him completely. Werewolves should be classified as Being's. This argument wouldn't be settled quickly, the fear was deeply rooted, and Greyback's attacks were keeping that fear fresh in everyone's minds, and introducing a new generation to those feelings of helplessness and terror.

A sharp knock at his door drew him from his depressing musings, he looked up from his paperwork to see Severus Snape's head peek around the edge f the opening door.

"Severus? Not often we see you in the Ministry. Come in, take a seat," Remus offered. Severus nodded, entering the room, closing the door behind him with a soft _click._ "What brings you to the Ministry?" he asked as Severus took the seat opposite his desk.

"I'm here to see you, can't you tell?" Severus muttered sarcastically. Remus rolled his eyes in response.

"Alright, so what can I help you with?" he asked, unsure why Severus would be seeking him out.

"Have you heard of Damocles Belby?"

Belby? Yes, I've heard of him. Why?" Everyone in this department had heard about Belby and his recent trials with the Wolfsbane potion. Remus had looked into it, but no one could give him any information, the recipe was being closely guarded, he was only told the ingredients were 'astronomically expensive'.

"His Wolfsbane trials at St Mungo's have been rather successful, some of the kinks with dosage and timings are a little unpredictable, but it's around 90% effective currently, for a werewolf to keep his human mind while transformed."

"90%? So they still need securing during that time in case it fails?" Remus asked with a frown.

"Mmm, but I believe it's more down to a timing issue, rather than an error with the potion. That's not the biggest prohibiting factor in its use, though."

"The cost is, right?"

"Right. The cost is currently ridiculous, and the fact that each person will need it every four weeks, for at least a week preceding each full moon, a lot of potion is required. And the highly unstable nature of it makes it impossible to produce in 'bulk' to keep costs down that way," Severus explained.

"That's all fascinating, Severus, but I don't quite understand why you're coming to me," Remus said. In some ways it felt unfair, Severus explaining wondrous points about this miracle potion, and in the next breath explaining why he would never have it.

"I'm getting there," Severus muttered, shaking his head.

"I apologise. Please, continue," Remus held his hands up in surrender, suppressing a grin. Severus nodded.

"Well, you're already aware of _my_ profession, what I've done during the last few years –"

"We're all aware of your love of potions, Severus," Remus interrupted, shaking his head in amusement.

"My work in improving the potions used to treat Dragon Pox has caught the attention of Mr Belby, he has requested a partnership upon conclusion of my apprenticeship this summer," Severus explained.

"I see."

"He believes that an additional pair of eyes looking through the finer points may lead to finding improvements to the efficiency of the potion, or lead to finding alternative methods of production, or substitute ingredients which could ultimately help lower the cost overall."

"That sounds amazing, if it can be accomplished."

"We'll need volunteers for the trials. Naturally, he wants to use the two he's worked with to develop the initial Wolfsbane potion, and the two children recently attacked. But I want to add at least one more to the list. You."

"Me?"

"You could be added in secrecy, you are already absent from work on the necessary days so no disappearances to arouse suspicions. You could be at St Mungo's on the night of the full moon for observation. You'd be safe, hopefully comfortable. And if the potion works, you'd no longer pose a threat in your transformed state," he explained carefully. Remus let out a heavy breath, rubbing a hand over his face.

"When do you think testing would start?" he asked, hoping it would be soon.

"I honestly couldn't say," he admitted. "It could be as early as Christmas – I'll be working with him from the end of August – or it could be next summer." Remus sighed, potentially another year of this, but then, at least there was some small hope for the future.

"I'd be happy to be part of the trials, you know that," he answered quietly.

"I want you added to the current trials; that will give us a better comparison for when we begin testing alterations. The next full moon is on the nineteenth, as you know, you'll need a dose of the potion daily from the twelfth. I can meet you at the floo at St Mungo's at a set time each day, or you can find me on the third floor if you prefer to come up, and you'll need to be observed overnight on the nineteenth, if you're ok with that."

"I'm definitely ok with that," Remus agreed readily, he would do anything if there was a chance of gaining some relief during the transformations, even if there was no hope of a cure. But then again, if Severus was involved, perhaps there was some small hope of a cure after all, it seemed he could achieve anything he set his mind to. And after everything that had happened, it appeared Severus was now putting his intellect into helping ease the lives of werewolves.

...

"Watch out, Quidditch star coming through!" Sirius called cheerfully, following close behind Harry on the new broom he'd proudly handed over to his godson. Lily shook her head, partly amused, partly exasperated, and definitely pleased that this wasn't happening in her own house. "Breathe in, Lily, he's headed your way!"

"Breathe in?" she queried. "Bit tricky at the moment, in case you hadn't noticed," she added sarcastically, pressing herself against the wall and smoothing a hand over her growing belly, letting it linger protectively as Harry flew passed, his broom at knee height, the now one year old clearly delighted with his gift.

"Yeah, yeah, Snape. Keep your hair on," Sirius grinned. Lily rolled her eyes, making her way towards the kitchen in search of Jess, and to perhaps keep out of the way of the airborne Harry.

"Need any help?" Lily asked as she entered the kitchen, finding Jess dashing about the place.

"No, no, everything's fine," she answered as she turned, wand in hand, twirling it as gracefully as a conductor, the food zipping about to fill the plates that lined the worktops and kitchen island. Lily felt herself smile at the scene, she couldn't bring herself to use magic in the kitchen, she and Severus both preferred to prepare food the 'Muggle way' just as they had learned as children.

Just as Lily stepped forward to grab a couple of the plates, a startled _meow_ was heard from the cat out in the hallway. Lily couldn't help but jump at the crash that quickly followed, though only giggles could be heard from Harry so he was clearly uninjured. Jess sighed with frustration, quickly marching towards the door, pulling it open and glaring at Sirius, with her wand still in her hand.

"For Merlin's sake, Sirius!" Jess snapped. "At least take him out in the garden, will you? And stop terrorising poor Ginger!" she added. Harry had taken a much greater interest in the orange fur ball since becoming mobile, now having a broom to aid him in his chase really wasn't fair to Ginger – or Gingernut to give him his full name (though James and Sirius were determined the name be shortened to _Nutso_ , however hard Jess fought against it).

"Alright, alright, we're going."

"You break anything, I'll have Euphemia on your case," Jess threatened.

"Very mature, tell _Mummy_ on me," Sirius fake pouted. "Come on, matey, the dragon has spoken," he muttered to the tot.

"I'll give him _dragon,_ " Jess mumbled, sending a stinging hex at Sirius before he disappeared from view, hopefully taking Harry out to the garden where the guests were, some sitting in the sun, some under the shade of the gazebo, the Weasley children all playing happily and keeping Neville entertained.

Lily had just needed a few moments without so much happening all around her, and while Severus had been engaged in conversation with Remus, James and his parents, she'd taken the opportunity to head inside. Severus got on surprisingly well with the Potter's, Fleamont and Euphemia had all but welcomed him to their family after he helped treat them at St Mungo's. Shortly before Harry was born, they'd both taken ill; first Euphemia, quickly followed by Fleamont. Both Dragon Pox, both admitted to St Mungo's. Given their ages, it was feared they would quickly succumb to the illness. Fleamont was eighty and Euphemia not far off that age herself, it was no secret that the older a patient was, the less chance there was of survival. But Severus had been studying the illness due to an outbreak at the start of that year, and for the six months leading up to their admittance he'd been working on improving the potions used to treat the illness, which hadn't been altered much for several hundred years. The improvements he'd made had reduced treatment time, which improved the survival rate. Both Potter's survived, and they often made sure Severus knew how grateful they were, which left poor Severus feeling overwhelmed on many occasions and longing for them to drop the matter.

"So how's that baby coming along?" Jess asked, her annoyance finally ebbing away, a grin lighting up her face as she reached a hand to smooth gently over Lily's bump.

"Just perfect," Lily beamed back, taking Jess' fingers, moving them to where she'd just felt a nudge from inside.

"And you're still not finding out? Boy or girl?"

"There's only three months to go," Lily laughed. "Sev and I will find that out when we meet them."

"Don't you have an inkling?" Jess asked, clearly desperate for information.

"No," she lied. She _did_ have an inkling, it was the same hunch she'd had for years. She didn't want to admit it though.

"Liar," Jess grinned. Lily's face had obviously given her away. "It's just so exciting, I'm so happy for you both, you have so much to look forward to."

"I know. I can't believe how it's going though," she admitted. The weeks seemed to be flying by at an alarming rate, and her bump was expanding just as quickly.

"I know, and it doesn't slow down once they've arrived," Jess laughed. "In fact, for me it's going to start going by even quicker."

"Quicker?" Lily frowned.

"Harry's going to be a big brother," Jess whispered, her eyes sparkling with excitement,

"What?" Lily exclaimed.

"Your little one will have company at Hogwarts," she grinned.

"Congratulations," Lily told her, pulling Jess to her in a hug.

"Thanks. We haven't told anyone yet apart from our parents, we're going to tell everyone after the cake."

"When are you due?"

"The end of February."

"Two under two, you're very brave," Lily teased.

"You'll be the same, I bet. That first one comes along and they're so cute and perfect and you'll just want to do it all over again," Jess laughed, and Lily chuckled right along with her. Babies definitely seemed to be on the increase since the end of the war; some couples were still working on their first, while others were now adding a second, and others their seventh. Molly was due any day now with what she firmly stated was her last baby, while they were preparing to send their eldest – Bill – to Hogwarts in a months time. None of the children would ever be short of playmates within this circle of friends.

"Let's get all this outside shall we?" Lily suggested, ending the baby conversation for the time being. Jess nodded, picking up a large platter of sandwiches. Lily grabbed a couple of smaller plates and followed her friend outside and down the path to the large picnic bench set up beneath a canopy.

Before she could follow Jess back up to the kitchen, Severus and James approached her, both insisting she sit while they brought out the remaining food. Lily settled herself at the bench, waiting for Severus to return. It only took a few trips to have all the food set up outside. Severus sat beside her, smiling softly as he laid a hand on her belly, both of them grinning as the baby kicked against his fingers, neither of them would tire of feeling their baby wriggling and making its presence known to them.

James rounded everyone up, informing them lunch was ready. It didn't take long for the benches to fill, friends and family filling the air with noisy, happy chatter, all eagerly piling food onto their plates and digging in to sandwiches, sausage rolls, pork pies and a whole assortment of treats, with great enthusiasm. Harry seemed quite happy seated with Sirius, neither James nor Jess getting his attention when his godfather was nearby.

When most of the food had been consumed, Jess fetched the cake, three tiers in blue, burgundy and bronze, a golden snitch with fluttering wings perched on the top, decorative miniature brooms made of sugar around the edge. The cake was set in front of Harry, who seemed to be eyeing it warily, even more so when a candle was lit on the top tier. James led the guests in singing 'Happy Birthday' with Harry looking less and less impressed as the song continued. As the final note was sung, Harry burst into tears and flopped sideways, burying his face in Sirius' lap. The guests erupted in a mix of giggles, chuckles, and sympathetic 'aaah's' for the poor tyke, clearly over tired and over stimulated.

"Well that's that then," Jess huffed, though she couldn't hide her amusement in her son's reaction, and leaned down to blow out the candle she'd only just lit.

...

He thought he heard his name being whispered, though he couldn't be certain. He may have simply dreamed it.

"Sev," the whisper came again, though it seemed to be taking an age to sink into his brain. "Sev, wake up!" Lily's voice came again, more urgently this time. He peeked an eye open, finding only darkness. Maybe he'd dreamed it after all. "Severus!" she called to him a bit louder, her hand gently shaking his shoulder.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" he asked, his voice croaky with sleep.

"My water just broke," she whispered. _That_ got his attention, sleep suddenly melting away as he bolted upright in bed.

"You're sure?" he asked, not liking how nervous he sounded, or how ridiculous the question sounded. He could almost sense her rolling her eyes at him.

"Yes, I'm sure," she sighed, "unless someone decided to sneak in and empty a paddling pool in the bed!" she added.

Severus grabbed his wand, casting a quick _Tempus_ to find it was 2.10am on the 16th October 1981. He lit the candles on the bedside tables with another wave of his wand, and glanced over to see Lily lying on her side facing him.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I think so," she nodded, though her eyes looked more than a little nervous.

"Any contractions?"

"Not really."

"Not really?" he echoed back.

"No different to usual," she answered. For the last week her Braxton Hicks contractions had been getting stronger, but there'd been no other signs of labour beginning, her due date six days ago had come and gone with no fanfare whatsoever.

"So, what do you want to do?" he asked. She looked up at him as though he'd grown a second head.

"Did you honestly just ask me that?" she queried, her lips quirking into a smile. "I _think_ I want to give birth to our child."

"Well, clearly. What I meant was how do you wish to proceed? Do you want to head straight to St Mungo's? Or rest here for a while until the contractions become more regular? Or do you want me to call your Mum?" he explained gently. Surely it hadn't been _that_ ridiculous a question. Her face softened then, accepting his point.

"Oh, I think a contraction is coming," she said, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths.

"Are you alright?" he asked as her breathing slowed again.

"Mmm. I think we should get dressed and head to St Mungo's," she said quietly. Severus nodded, pulling back the covers, spotting the puddle of water spreading out beneath her.

"Look at that, your waters _have_ gone," he commented. Lily huffed and threw her pillow at him in frustration, and Severus couldn't help but grin at her. "Sorry, it's the excitement," he told her. Or the nerves. He wasn't sure which it was that caused the filter between his brain and his mouth to stop functioning.

"Do you think you could get me a towel or two?" she asked him.

"Of course, love," he answered, quickly grabbing several from the storage box beneath the bed. Lily sat up cautiously, looking slightly disgusted and very uncomfortable.

"I don't know what to do," she admitted, burying her face in her hands. Neither did he if he was honest. All he could think to do was sit beside her – on the dry part of the bed – and slip his arm around her, holding her close against his side.

"I feel another contraction coming," she told him, her eyes screwing tightly shut as it began to build. Severus dropped a hand to her belly, feeling it harden as the contraction grew stronger. After a minute or so he felt her bump begin to relax, Lily breathed a sigh of relief.

Severus carefully pulled the nightgown she was wearing over her head, knowing she'd prefer something clean to head to the hospital in, and helped her clean herself with one of the towels.

"Can you help me to the loo?" she asked. Severus nodded, pulling her to her feet, letting her lean on him as he guided her out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, leaving her alone while he returned to the bedroom, quickly dressing and cleaning up the bed with a wave of his wand, before returning to Lily with clean clothes and another towel.

When he opened the door she was seated on the toilet holding her belly, her eyes screwed up tight again.

"Another contraction?" he asked. She nodded silently as she breathed through it. Once it passed, she cleaned herself again with the towel. Severus knelt in front of her, pressing a kiss to her bump before helping her dress.

Minutes later they were heading to the floo, only pausing so he could grab their cloaks, wrapping one around each of their shoulders and slipping into shoes. Their wands safely stowed in Severus' cloak, he picked up the bag they'd had packed for several weeks and escorted Lily through the floo to St Mungo's.

The hospital was thankfully silent as they stepped through the other side, Lily steadied herself against him, turning her face into his chest as she breathed through another contraction. Severus wasted no time in dropping the bag and let his fingers rub up and down her back, hoping it helped in some way.

"Alright?" he asked. She nodded as she pulled away from him, letting go of one arm so he could pick up the bag.

"Oh, I thought I heard the floo," the Welcome Witch commented as she spotted them. "Is the baby ready, healer Snape?" she asked excitedly. Both he and Lily were well known by the hospital staff after training here for the last three years. Severus nodded. "You know where to go, I'll let them know you're on your way."

Severus nodded again, guiding Lily to the appropriate floor, a Healer waiting for them, ready to take them to a side room.

"Good morning, I see baby Snape is ready to make an appearance," the Healer commented.

"It seems that way," Severus agreed.

"Up on the bed then, Mrs Snape," she instructed. Severus removed her cloak and helped her settle back against the pillows. Lily pulled her dress up to expose her bump, the Healer pressed all around seemingly pleased as the baby wriggled in response to being prodded. "Baby seems in the perfect position," she commented as she withdrew her wand, muttering a spell over Lily's belly. "All looks wonderful, you're dilating nicely. I think your baby will be here by lunchtime, probably sooner. Rest now between contractions, if you can. Call me if you need anything for the pain, or if things start moving more quickly," she told them before leaving the room.

"Won't be long now, Sev," Lily told him.

"Are you ready to be a Mum?" he asked her.

"Scared I'll get it all wrong," she admitted quietly. Severus took her hand as he sat beside her on the bed.

"I'm scared too. But you, I know, will be perfect. We have a very lucky baby," he told her, reaching to wipe the tear that escaped and made its way down her cheek.

The early hours of the morning passed slowly as contractions came and went, Lily closing her eyes in between until the time between them grew shorter and the contractions more intense. Severus didn't dare close his eyes for a second, wanting to watch over his wife as much as he was able. He only left her side once to quickly floo both their mother's to let them know the baby was on the way. By 10am, Healer Anders was back in the room as it was clear Lily would give birth in the next few minutes. Severus felt more and more helpless as labour progressed, unsure if anything he whispered to her helped at all. Now all he could do was let her hold his hand in a death grip as things intensified.

"It's time to push," Healer Anders finally said. Lily gave a determined nod, pushing as the next contraction hit. "Keep pushing, you can do it," the Healer called out to her. Severus brushed the damp hair away from her forehead, leaning close to tell her he loved her as she continued to grip his hand. Two more contractions with Lily pushing with all her might and the baby began to crown. "Stop pushing, Lily, just breathe," Anders told her. Lily gripped his hand even tighter, both of them staring passed her bump to where they knew their baby was emerging. "Head's out, push now for me." Lily pushed, crying as suddenly a screaming baby appeared and was passed up to rest on Lily's belly, a tiny pink screwed up face, clearly displeased at being evicted from their warm home. Lily laughed and cried as the Healer draped a towel over the baby, rubbing them vigorously, drying them off and encouraging them to keep screaming. Severus could only look on in amazement at this tiny person being cradled in Lily's arms, afraid to say a word or he would surely cry right along with them.

"What do we have, Sev?" she finally asked. "A son or a daughter?"

Severus reached out with a shaky hand to peek at the child.

"A girl, Lily, we have a daughter!" he told her, unable to stop his voice from cracking, unable to stop the tears that fell as he gazed at their perfect daughter.

"She's so beautiful, Sev," she sighed, stroking her fingers down the baby's cheek.

"She is," Severus agreed readily. "Just like her mother," he told her sincerely. Lily had never looked more beautiful to him, the love in her eyes lighting up the whole room.

"Let's get her wrapped up and handed to Daddy while you finish up, Lily," the Healer told her as she fussed around, clamping and cutting the cord, whisking her over to a station on one side of the room where another Healer was waiting to check the baby over. Severus watched over his daughter as she was weighed and checked, before she was dressed in a nappy, swaddled tightly and placed in his arms. The screaming had stopped for the moment, the tiny girl blinking up at him with soft brown eyes, Severus' heart melting in a split second. And he knew that for the second time in his life, he'd fallen in love at first sight.

Severus glanced up from his daughter to find Lily gazing at them both, the pride and sheer happiness radiating from her was obvious to all. He placed her in Lily's arms almost reluctantly, surprised at how natural it felt to cradle this perfect girl close to his heart. Almost immediately, she squirmed, nuzzling towards Lily's chest in search of food. Once she was settled, Severus leaned in to kiss Lily's lips, telling her again how wonderful she was and how much he loved her, loved them both.

"She needs a name," Lily whispered. "Do you think the one we chose fits her?"

"I think so," Severus nodded, reaching to touch the soft wisps of black hair on her tiny head. Lily nodded slowly.

"Willow Iris Snape," she said quietly. "Definitely," she added with a grin. Severus smiled in response, he'd never felt so content. He couldn't wait to introduce his daughter to the world. His new favourite Willow. Nothing would ever be the same again.

 **A/N – Hello all, I hope you enjoyed this little peek at where our favourite people have gone after the war. There is only the epilogue to go now, and I'm definitely extremely emotional about finishing and saying goodbye to this story (though I've tried to leave a few places that could be explored in the future, so it's not necessarily the end of this universe).**

 **Thank you all so much for your kind words after the last chapter, it's touching to know that there are readers out there who will miss the story being updated. I will try to have the epilogue up before Christmas, but you know how crazy this time of year is, especially with children (and this year, my brother and his family are over visiting from South Korea, which is very exciting, as our children so rarely get to meet).**

 **If you don't see me again before Christmas, I'd like to wish you all a wonderful holiday season, however you celebrate I hope it's filled with love and happiness.**


	102. Chapter 102

**A/N – first, huge apologies for the delay in posting the epilogue. Second, happy birthday Severus Snape, may he live happily forever in the world of fan fiction.**

September 1st 1991

"Come on! Hurry up, Dad!" Harry called excitedly as they made their way through Kings Cross Station.

"We've got plenty of time, Harry, stop panicking," James told him, shaking his head in amusement. Generally, Harry was a rather laid back boy, relaxed in the face of most things. But on occasion, his excitement shone through, reminding James that he was in fact, still a child. An eleven year old child now on his way to Hogwarts for the first time.

"I want to find Ron and Neville though," Harry argued. The three boys had been close since they were born, particularly Harry and Neville with only a day separating them. The other children were younger, the group gaining siblings over the years, but these three boys were the first to be heading for Hogwarts. The first babies born to those who fought in the war.

"You'll find them, Harry. It's barely 10.30 and the train won't leave until 11," James pointed out. Harry sighed and sped up, the wheel of his trolley beginning to squeak as it rolled faster towards the barrier.

"He's your son," Jess pointed out, nudging him playfully with her elbow, amusement clear in her voice.

"Thank you for the reassurance," he teased, smirking at his grinning wife. Jess shrugged casually before picking up her pace to catch up with Harry as he approached the barrier. James tightened his grip on his daughter's hand, glancing down to find her soft hazel eyes locked on him, her golden curls bouncing as she walked. "Come on, Soph. Let's see if we can catch up with them, eh?" he suggested. Sophie grinned and quickened her steps alongside him.

A minute later they found Harry stood still in front of the barrier, Jess with her arm draped around his shoulder, leaning close to whisper in his ear.

"Are you ready, Harry?" James asked the suddenly nervous child.

"I'm ready," Harry said, nodding determinedly, gripping the trolley tighter, quickly moving forward to push through the magical barrier. Jess followed swiftly, as did he and Sophie, the family of four found themselves faced with the bustle of Platform 9 ¾'s, the scarlet engine looking as magnificent as ever, the steam pouring off it and making everything look even more magical.

"Mum, I've lost my toad again," they heard Neville saying nervously.

"Oh, Neville," Alice sighed fondly, giving him a soft smile as Frank hurried off in search of the creature, a little girl with two mousy blonde plaits close on his heels, and Sophie quickly chasing after her friend.

Harry pushed his trolley towards his friend, the two families meeting and greeting each other brightly.

"Alright, Neville?" Harry asked him. Neville shrugged before answering.

"Trevor's got out again," he told him quietly.

"I don't think he wants to come with us," Harry said. "You could always leave him with Martha," he suggested.

"I'm not sure about that, Harry," he confessed. James suspected Neville wanted his toad with him so he was certain to have a _friend_ by his side. The shy boy had convinced himself he wouldn't be following his parents' footsteps and heading for Gryffindor, he truly believed he would be sorted into Hufflepuff. And though Harry was kind and loyal, he was definitely more of a Gryffindor like himself. True he wasn't as impetuous as he'd been at that age, the more logical thinking he'd inherited from his mother tempering the more boisterous traits. Of course, that sense of logic didn't mean he disliked mischief, but it did help him avoid getting caught, much to Sirius' delight. If Harry didn't find himself in Gryffindor, he would certainly follow Jess into Ravenclaw, he was clearly intelligent enough to do so. That meant there was a chance the friends would be split up.

"Morning, James dear," Molly greeted, Fred, George and Percy scattering among the crowd, vaguely heading in the direction of the train carriages.

"Morning, Molly," James replied as the cheerful woman exchanged hugs with each member in the group. Only Ginny remained by her side as Ron joined Harry and Neville, the three of them exchanging glances, all of them a mixture of excitement and nerves. It seemed that the nerves were currently prevailing at this particular moment, the reality of leaving their families finally sinking in.

"It'll be fine, Harry," James told him, crouching down to look at his face more closely.

"I know," he said quietly, a frown creasing between his eyebrows. "But what if we're in different Houses?" he asked.

"That is a possibility," James agreed. "But that doesn't matter, does it? You'll still have some lessons together, you'll see each other outside of classes. Besides, being in the same House doesn't automatically mean you be better friends. Your House doesn't change who you are."

"I suppose," Harry shrugged.

"And there is a chance you could be in the same House," James pointed out.

"Each of you will be in the House that's right for you, wherever that may be," Jess said as she and Sophie joined the group. Harry nodded, adjusting his glasses nervously. "Come on, let's get your things on the train," she added, moving to push the trolley towards one of the carriages, the others following her, Frank taking Neville to one side to hand Trevor over to him.

Soon the cases had all been stowed aboard a carriage for the group of friends. The large group stood together on the platform for their final 'goodbye's'.

"Christmas will be here before you know it," Jess said to the group. "The time will fly by once lessons begin," she added. The boys all nodded in agreement, time would go quickly, it always did. He still found it hard to believe he was now in his thirties and sending his first child to Hogwarts, in some ways it felt as though he'd only just left. There was a small part in the back of his brain that would always be _Prongs,_ running through the forest with Padfoot and Moony, a tiny part of him staying sixteen forever, even if it was unnecessary.

James watched on as mothers hugged and kissed their sons, fathers leaned in to give them words of encouragement. He was no different, pulling Harry close as he fished a piece of parchment from inside his robes.

"You do know it's not all work, don't you?" he whispered in his son's ear, handing over the folded parchment. "You know what this is?"

"The map?" Harry asked, James had showed it to him on numerous occasions, proud of the work the Marauders accomplished at school.

"You remember how to work it?" James asked, Harry nodded, his nerves fading as his lips twitched into a smile. "Don't get caught," he warned playfully.

"Do I ever?" Harry grinned. James ruffled his already messy hair.

"Alright, Harry. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," James called as he straightened up.

"Well that doesn't exactly narrow things down, does it?" Jess sighed. James shrugged, slipping his arm around her, pulling her close against his side.

Harry laughed as he called a last 'goodbye', dashing up the steps and off to his carriage, seconds later and he was waving out of a window alongside Ron and Neville, the identical faces of Fred and George appearing behind the younger boys, grinning and giving thumbs up signs to Ginny who wasn't pleased to be left behind.

James glanced down the platform, seeing Lucius Malfoy with Narcissa and their son, the boy standing straight backed, almost ignoring his mother as she fussed with his hair and smoothed down his robes. James had no idea what kind of child they'd raised, the Malfoy's had mostly kept to themselves after the war, a large section of society not pleased with Lucius' _light_ sentence. The boy seemed like a miniature Lucius when it came to his looks, with white blonde hair and pale skin. James just hoped he didn't spout the same prejudiced nonsense his father had done.

A _wheesh_ of steam came from the train and the final few children quickly clambered on to find seats. A bushy haired girl virtually flew passed him up the steps, her trunk bouncing as she marched up the steps, at the top she turned and waved hastily to her parents. James glanced around carefully, spotting a young couple waving back. He assumed the girl was Muggleborn, as he didn't recognise her parents, despite looking a similar age to himself. Whatever happened at Hogwarts, Harry was in for an amazing experience.

...

September 2nd 1993

Severus stepped out of the floo into a silent house, wondering where everyone was. Much as he loved the quiet, he'd become accustomed over the years to some degree of noise with children in the house, silence was a sign of something suspicious. _Especially_ where Rowan was concerned. His son was always so full of excitement, whirling about the place like a miniature tornado, that when he was quiet it was sure sign he was up to mischief. He was almost certain the boy would be a Gryffindor when it was time for him to head to Hogwarts, he was so much like Lily, from his cheerful nature and sociable personality, to his dark red hair. Though he had inherited Severus' dark eyes. He'd almost convinced himself that his love of mischief had been learned from his frequent exposure to James Potter and Sirius Black and their children. Admittedly Harry wasn't as loud as James had been, though he was much older than Rowan, and Sophie was a quiet girl who loved books almost as much as his daughters – for which he was thankful considering she and Willow were nigh on inseparable. For their sake, he hoped they'd been sorted into the same House when they arrived at Hogwarts yesterday; hopefully a letter would arrive from Willow in the next day or so informing them of her placement.

Sirius' son, Perseus, was almost a carbon copy of the Marauder, both in terms of looks and character, which worried Severus slightly as he would undoubtedly follow his footsteps into Gryffindor. The fact that Perseus and Rowan were the same age only added to the worries, the thought of the two of them sharing a dorm for seven years only made him dwell on how often Dumbledore would be writing to them with his concerns. Though, he tried not to think on the matter too much, seeing as the boys were only six years old, and still had five years until they would be taking the train for the first time. A lot could change in five years. For now, they could let boys be boys.

Sighing, he made his way through the cottage, shrugging off his cloak, heading to the hallway to hang it on its usual hook by the door, calling a _'hello'_ up the stairs to announce his presence. When no reply came, either verbally or in the form of thundering footsteps, he could only assume Lily and the children hadn't yet come home. Not an unusual occurrence, Lily often visited her parents after school time was over. His mother took care of the majority of the schooling, she'd been keen to keep up the tradition of home-schooling the next generation, and with her improved confidence over the years, Severus was surprised at just how well she handled the children. In fact, she'd taken to it so well, that Potter's, Black's and Longbottom's children were taught by her as well, each paying her for her time so she could give up the part time job she'd found for herself after the war. Lily's mother taught them one day a week on more _Muggle_ subjects, to ensure all the children had a more thorough education – not only about Muggles themselves, but about maths and science. His mother loved the house being full of children, though it had lead to some difficult conversations about his childhood, and the damage his father had done. She regretted staying with Tobias for so long, and regretted never having more children herself – something which had been impossible given Tobias Snape's hideous temperament and inability to adequately provide for the one child they already had. Now though, day to day life was generally a peaceful existence.

Severus wandered back down the hallway and into the kitchen, opting to prepare a pot of tea for when Lily returned, knowing she'd be ready for a cup by the time she did. His wife had little time in the day for luxuries such as tea breaks, her role more physically demanding than his. She'd taken a position as Healer at St Mungo's, working part time in order to spend time with their children as well as creating a career for herself. And St Mungo's were ecstatic to have her, almost giving her free reign to dictate the hours she could work, only too pleased to make allowances for a 'war heroine'. From a financial point of view she didn't need to work, but she loved what she did and was grateful they were so accommodating. Her time at the hospital was mainly on floor three – same as him – so he caught glimpses of her during the morning, unless he was locked in the lab, and on rare occasions, stole a moment of conversation.

Severus' role had been very much research based. Given his teenage investigations and experiments, he'd easily achieved his mastery, moving straight into a research study with Belby regarding the Wolfsbane – to which they did make improvements to the potion, making it more financially viable, to the point the Ministry were able to fully fund the supply of it to all werewolves. This had earned the two men an Order of Merlin – third class – for their contribution to wizarding society. In some ways he was prouder of this Order of Merlin than the one awarded to him after the war. After all, this was in recognition of his intelligence, more meaningful personally than fighting against Voldemort, which had been thrust upon him thanks to the memories and a Prophecy. The study with Belby had taken three years, and had been time well spent in his opinion. They'd separated ways after that, to pursue individual studies, but they still met from time to time to discuss ideas and results of investigations. But whether they would collaborate on future projects remained to be seen.

This year, however, would be rather different for Severus, as he'd been persuaded to begin taking apprentices training more hopeful potions masters. This obviously left less time for his personal studies, but sometimes a change in routine was a good thing, perhaps interacting with the next generation of potioneers would give him ideas to pursue in the future. He was only committing to three years of training, not signing his life away in the form of educating. He could honestly say he'd never imagined himself in the role of teacher in any capacity, the memories of the _other_ Severus made it clear it was not a role he enjoyed – it was a role he'd been trapped in. Though he supposed, that was a key difference, his acceptance of this position was entirely different, there was nothing and no one compelling him to provide this service, there was no path to redemption, no guilt weighing down his shoulders. No blood on his hands. That and guiding three adult wizards with a love of potions was a completely different scenario to attempting to teach a room full of eleven year olds who were more likely to blow up their cauldron than turn in a perfect potion. This would almost certainly be less trying on his temper. Today had only been the fourth day with this group, and so far, so good.

The front door burst open then, drawing him from his musings, the footsteps of Rowan Evan Snape thundered towards the kitchen.

"Dad!" the boy exclaimed happily upon seeing him.

"Slow down, Rowan. Are you a boy or an erumpent?" Severus teased him gently, his lips quirking into a smile at his son's exuberance. Severus hoisted him into his arms, little arms wrapped around his neck

"I'm a hippogriff!" Rowan grinned.

"Are you now?"

"Mm hmm, Nanna says so," he told him proudly.

"I see," Severus remarked, setting the now wriggling boy back down. _Hippogriff indeed_ , he thought to himself as the boy hurried off in a flurry.

"Hi, Sev," Lily greeted as she entered the kitchen, smiling brightly as she made her way to him.

"Hello, my love," he replied, dipping his head to press a kiss to her lips, his arm automatically draping around her waist to hold her close as her soft fingers brushed against his cheek.

"Urghh," Holly groaned as she followed her mother into the kitchen.

"Honestly, Holly," Lily commented, rolling her eyes as their daughter seated herself at the table. Holly Rose merely raised an eyebrow at her mother, causing Severus to stifle a chuckle. She'd definitely inherited his mannerisms. To his immense relief, she'd gained most of her looks from Lily, with delicate features and bright green eyes identical to her mother's, though her hair was much darker, a rich deep chestnut that fell in thick waves down her back. But her behaviour was much more like his, she was quiet and reserved, and was frequently annoyed with her brother's antics.

Holly thanked him as he placed a glass of pumpkin juice in front of her, and poured cups of tea for himself and Lily. Lily pulled something from her pocket as she took her seat, taking a deep breath as she smoothed out the envelope.

"Willow's owl found me at Mum's," Lily said quietly.

"Have you opened it?" he asked her, leaning forwards in anticipation.

"I wanted to wait till I was with you," she told him.

"Open it then," Holly ordered, leaning on her elbows on the table, clearly eager to discover her sister's place. Lily nodded quickly, tearing the wax seal and pulling out a small piece of parchment, filled with Willow's tidy writing.

" _Dear Mum and Dad,"_ Lily read. " _I can't believe I'm finally here at Hogwarts, it's amazing and terrifying all at the same time. I can't wait to start lessons tomorrow, I'm not sure what my first class will be, we'll get our schedules at breakfast. I miss you already, but I know Christmas will be here really soon and I can see you all again. I know you want to know which House I'm in, you won't be surprised when I tell you, hopefully you're both ok with it, I know you said you'd be proud whichever House I'm in. I'm in Ravenclaw –"_

"We both knew _that_ was coming," Severus interrupted, smirking as he shook his head. Lily nodded before continuing.

" _And so is Sophie, so she's really happy too, she didn't want to join Harry in Gryffindor. Write back soon, love Willow."_ Lily finished.

"Can I write to her too?" Holly asked.

"Of course, love," Lily answered. "Do you want to add something to our letter, or write your own?"

"My own please," she told her.

"Well, why don't you write now while I start dinner? We'll send the letters this evening so they reach her at breakfast," Lily suggested. Holly nodded, leaving the table in search of writing supplies.

"No doubt she'll be following Willow's footsteps," Lily remarked softly once Holly had left the room.

"She could be a Slytherin yet," Severus replied with a casual shrug.

"You keep telling yourself that, love" Lily teased in reply. They both knew he had no strong desires for his children to follow him into Slytherin.

"Do you want some help with dinner?" he asked.

"Why don't you write to Willow?" she suggested instead.

"I can do that," he said with a nod, standing to retrieve his own writing supplies. Writing his first letter to Hogwarts, he could only imagine how many they would write over the coming years. For the next twelve years they would have at least one child there, for the next few months, there would be only four sleeping under this roof rather than five, their eldest child taking her first steps towards adulthood. Their children were growing up, and time was still hurtling by far too quickly. But for now, all three were still children, he would have to content himself with that.

...

May 2nd 1998

Lily awoke early, the world still grey in the pre-dawn light, the sun not yet risen to bring light into the world. She hadn't slept well, a feeling of unease had settled in a few days ago as this date had approached. In part to the fact that today they would be visiting Hogwarts to attend a funeral. But mostly due to the date itself. Twenty two years ago the first of the memories had found their way from another place in time, _from another Severus,_ into her Severus's dreams and set them on a completely new course of action.

Each year, this date left her feeling slightly uneasy, there was nothing tangible that she could put her finger on, she just knew that something wasn't _right._ This year those feeling were heightened, amplified more than she expected with the knowledge that this marked the point in time when the other Severus's life had ended. His lonely life cut down so viciously by Voldemort at such a young age. Thirty eight was young by Muggle standards, never mind for a wizard. This was the date _he_ had willingly handed over his memories to try and create a better future – not for himself, but for her and the rest of the wizarding world.

Lily had never whispered a word about her brief meeting with the other Severus in that beautiful limbo. A tiny part of her thought it easier to believe it hadn't truly happened, that she'd merely conjured him in her mind when she was near death. In reality, she knew that hadn't been the case, the other Severus had been with her in a place outside of time, _between realities._ He'd only been there for her, and she would not betray him, their time together was sacred. His memories had saved lives, saved worlds, helped create a whole new world. The least she could do was keep him safe, a secret known only to her to protect for as long as could. She only wished she knew what happened to him _after._ He'dhad no clue what his fate would be, and didn't particularly seem to care, which was unsettling to say the least. Did he cease to exist after she'd been pulled back to this world? Did he now only exist as a memory in her mind? She hoped not, it didn't seem fair for his existence to end that way fading into nothing. He'd been used by so many in his life, it hardly seemed right for the universe, or fate, to use him in death, treating him as though he'd only been useful for his memories, just another tool to be used for the greater good.

Perhaps he'd gone on to what lay beyond, allowed to join the afterlife after his redemption was complete. She hoped the _other_ Lily was there to greet him, that she could look beyond the hateful word that severed their relationship in life, that she could offer him the forgiveness he so desperately needed and mend the rift between them in some capacity. In passing, she wondered if she would be reunited with the other Severus one day, when her journey was over; but deep down she knew that wouldn't be the case. Their paths were not destined to cross again, the tangled threads of time had completed their _rearranging_ , the two worlds would no longer touch. But she really hated the thought of him potentially being alone, he didn't deserve that at all.

Severus moved beside her in the bed, rolling onto his side to press himself against her back, his arm wrapping around her to keep her close.

"You're awake early," he whispered, his warm breath tickling her neck.

"Mmm," she mumbled, nodding against the pillows.

"It all seems a bit surreal, doesn't it?" Severus asked.

"I always thought he was invincible," she admitted, thinking on part of her unease – Albus had passed away a few days ago, peacefully in his sleep, aged one hundred and sixteen.

"I know," he agreed, pressing a kiss against her bare shoulder. "It feels like the end of an era," he said with a sigh, his hold around her tightening.

"It seems oddly fitting though," she said quietly.

"Hmm?"

"With the memories."

"It seems like a completely different life," he said.

"It almost was. I can't imagine our lives being any different to what we have," she told him. That was something she'd struggled to fathom, that there were versions of themselves who'd made different choices. "I can't imagine us being different people."

"I know," he snorted softly. "Though, I can't have been _that_ different."

"Of course you are!" she snapped, rolling onto her back to meet his eyes in the grey light as he propped himself up on his elbow. He _was_ different, in so many ways. Both were fundamentally _good_ men, the other Severus had unfortunately made questionable decisions fuelled by anger and loss. Her Severus hadn't had to experience those traumas, he'd had family beside him every step of the way. That had led to slightly different looks, his slim build was almost identical, but he was different around the eyes. His features were softer, eyes warmer and less harsh, his demeanour seeming younger. _This_ Severus could express his love, he showed her and their children how much he loved them, and he had those sentiments readily returned. The other Severus never had the privilege of being loved by a wife, or by children, or friends. A man couldn't experience all that and _not_ change in some capacity. It wasn't possible.

"Some things have changed, I know. But I know who _I_ was, I know who _he_ was," he sighed, not seeming able to express his thoughts, which was unusual for him. "I could have become him," he said quietly. "The differences are purely down to circumstance."

"In part, but you had to _choose_ to act differently. You could have ignored the memories," she pointed out, wanting him to take some of the credit for the positive choices he'd made in his life.

"At least the memories reached me early enough to make a difference, the alternative is a most unappealing option. But I think, regardless of how many versions of us there are out there, I will love you in each of them," he told her. She knew that was true, without question, he was always hers. And she should always be his, always together, and she hated that they _weren't_ in the other universe, hated that Severus was alone, hated that there was a version of her out there that had chosen Potter knowing everything he had done to torment the man she loved. She hated that the other Lily had hurt him more than anyone else ever could with her choices. The only consolation she had was the knowledge that it would never happen to her Severus, she would love him with every part of her being for as long as she was able to do so. She would tell him every day, she would _show_ him every day.

"I love you," she told him simply, their eyes locked, searching each other's souls so intimately, as they had done countless times over the years, before their lips met in a soft, sweet kiss. "It was always meant to be you, Sev," she told him as he pulled away.

"Always?" he asked softly.

"Always," she affirmed, reaching to touch his, cheek, tucking a strand of dark hair behind his ear as his lips met hers again, expressing his love for her, love and passion that she was more than eager to reciprocate. Time to be his before they had to face the day together, and say goodbye to an old friend.

...

The grounds looked beautiful, a perfect spring day for all who sat by the lakes shore. Hundreds of white chairs were set up in rows, all of them filled, not just with students and teachers, but with members of the Ministry, members of the Order, Dumbledore's friends, and his last remaining family member – Aberforth.

Various people got up to speak to those gathered, those who wanted to share a few words about the man who had begun the next part of his journey, the next big adventure. It was a sad occasion, a death was never a happy instance, but in a way it helped that in this version of reality it had followed the natural order – he'd simply fallen asleep. There was no murder this time, his death hadn't been a calculated necessity, no promises to fulfil, no Dark Lord's to fool. And no guilt on Severus' shoulders. The other Albus had chosen his manner of passing, that much was true, but Severus had been his weapon of choice. For the greater good. The other Severus had willingly damaged his soul for the only man he believed could help him find redemption; he'd lived with the guilt of what he'd taken from the world and allowed himself to be wrongly labelled a traitor, all to carry out Dumbledore's orders, execute his plan perfectly.

No. This was how people were _supposed_ to go, and yes, those left behind would mourn. That was the way of the universe when it wasn't interrupted. Lily tightened her arm around Rowan as he sniffled beside her, he'd insisted on joining them today to say goodbye. Rowan had met Dumbledore numerous times over the years, he'd visited their cottage, told him stories of when he used to live there. And Rowan loved to listen, his imagination always sparked by the colourful tales the old man would weave. Lily had no idea if they were all true – she was almost certain they weren't – but reality didn't factor into that, all that mattered was the story. In some ways, Albus became a kind of surrogate grandfather, the kind that told tall tales, encouraged adventures, and indulged him in too many sweets when she and Severus weren't looking. Rowan would miss that, though now he was almost eleven, the tales of adventures had changed, there was less searching the wood for magical creatures, more dreaming about Hogwarts, particularly with two older siblings there for him to join in September.

She was dreading the day he left, if she was honest, she wasn't looking forward to an empty house. Rowan was always such a ray of sunshine, managing to fill it with life all by himself, she worried that without him the house would feel cold and grey. But she supposed, that too was the way of things. Children grew, they went to school, they found their own paths to walk and took their own journeys, before beginning their own families. Time ticked on and on relentlessly, never altering, never ceasing.

Once all who wished to speak had had the opportunity to do so, a quiet hush descending on the gathering, all that could be heard were sniffles and quiet sobs. Rowan huddled himself closer against her, his head burrowing into her shoulder; she brushed a hand gently through his soft red hair. Holly was seated on her other side, her Ravenclaw robes freshly pressed, her hair in loose waves down her back, she wasn't crying, only holding Willow's hand in the seat beside her. Severus sat the other side of Willow, his arm resting on the back of her seat, his body angled towards her should she wish to hold on to him, though at the moment Holly's hand seemed to be comfort enough.

Just as unease started to settle among the group with the prolonged quiet, a loud trill of song pierced the air, and a brilliant flash of scarlet and gold streaked through the blue sky. Fawkes' song was hauntingly beautiful, moving and invigorating all at the same time. A melody which sank into everyone's souls, mending and healing the grief. Fawkes swooped in the open air over the lake, flying back and forth in elegant loops, his song never wavering. Lily couldn't help but think back on the final battle, when Fawkes had sung for them all, rallying their spirits and guiding them to the open fields. And he'd sung for her, bolstering her bravery, making her stand and fight, earning the sword at the most crucial moment. Fawkes had helped them, steadfastly loyal to Dumbledore, he'd played his own part for him. For the Order of the Phoenix.

But now Dumbledore was gone from this mortal coil, Fawkes' object of loyalty out of his reach. With a final circuit and burst of song, Fawkes was gone, the streak of crimson growing smaller as his wings took him forever away from Hogwarts, his beautiful song faded on the breeze. Everyone knew they'd never hear Phoenix song again.

As one, the crowd seemed to understand that this part of the day was over, words were no longer required, and almost in unison rose to their feet to begin the walk up to the castle. Quiet conversations were murmured all around as parents walked their children back to the Great Hall, along with everyone else visiting. The object of all the conversations was the same – Albus Dumbledore. Everyone was eager to share stories about him with anyone who would listen, everyone knew the man, either as a headmaster, a teacher, or a friend. That was the most important classification, she supposed. He'd been a great wizard, thanks to his exceptional magical abilities, his strategic thinking helping save the wizarding world from both Grindelwald and Voldemort. But his capacity for love and forgiveness, his belief in second chances, meant that he was also a good man. A man that everyone had fond memories of. It was remarkable what a memory could do. A memory could preserve a moment for eternity, could capture the essence of someone after they'd gone. A memory could change a life, a world, a future.

Predictably, once in the Great Hall, Rowan immediately paired off with Perseus; those two boys would drive their future Head of House to distraction come September, two lovable scamps who would no doubt be in Gryffindor. Lily couldn't help but wonder who would take over as Head of Gryffindor now Minerva was acting as Headmistress, she assumed Hogwarts would now be searching for a Transfigurations professor, as well as a Potions Master. Ever since Willow started at Hogwarts, Albus had asked Severus to consider taking the position. And every time Severus had declined, he had no desire to teach children like the other Severus had done.

Lily made her way through the crowd of people, winding through the brightly coloured robes – because of course Albus wouldn't want a room full black clad mourners, the only black was in the form of Hogwarts robes on the students attending. Dumbledore had stated that the occasion should be a vibrant celebration of life, so robes were in all colours of the rainbow. In moments, she was by Severus' side, he was adorned in robes of deep forest green; she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow, joining his conversation with Minerva and Filius.

"Are you sure we can't tempt you, Severus?" Minerva asked.

"I'm afraid not," he answered quietly, almost managing to sound apologetic.

"Horace really is keen to retire."

"I'm sure he is, but surely you haven't spent the last five years asking me alone to fulfil this role?" he asked curiously.

"Albus was quite sure you would eventually accept," she told him, looking faintly amused.

"Mmm, I'm afraid I will continue to disappoint."

"He was certain you'd make a fine teacher. And your apprentice training had gone well, yes?" she probed.

"Indeed," he conceded, looking pleased. "Perhaps I could make some suggestions for potential candidates."

"Only if you're absolutely positive I can't entice you. You'd make an excellent head of Slytherin," she teased. Lily couldn't help but smile.

"I will offer suggestions, but alas, no, I shall not take up residence in the dungeons," he told her with a raised eyebrow.

"Can't blame a girl for trying," Minerva told them with a shrug. "You could always join Severus in the dungeons, Lily. I'm sure Poppy could use an extra pair of hands in the hospital wing. Or you could take up the Transfigurations post."

"A generous offer, but I too shall decline," Lily told her with a grin, glancing up to see Severus' triumphant smirk.

"No? Head of Gryffindor not tempting?" she teased.

"Well, considering Rowan will undoubtedly end up there, along with Perseus Black, I'm not sure my hair would survive – it would either be grey through stress, or I'd have pulled it out before they even got half way through schooling," she laughed.

"Ah, there is that. Like the Weasley twins, no? Utterly charming, but utterly incorrigible," Minerva sighed good naturedly.

"Or James Potter and Sirius Black," Lily laughed. It seemed every generation had similar characters.

"So, I won't be adding another Snape to the Eagle's nest?" Filius asked curiously.

"I'm afraid not," Severus agreed.

"Pity, I would have liked the set," Filius chuckled.

Minerva and Filius continued to quiz Severus on potential candidates for the potions professor, as Lily glanced around the hall at various groups. Rowan was still tucked away at one side with Perseus, both looking more subdued than was usual; Sirius and Astrid were talking with James, Jess, Regulus and his wife Felicity – their daughter, Cressida, in Felicity's arms; Frank and Alice were stood with Remus, Dora and their newborn son, his bright blue hair standing out in sharp contrast against the pale lilac of Dora's robes; Andromeda and Ted were talking quietly with Eileen and surprisingly her parents – the Prince's had begun to build bridges with their estranged family, they'd left the country without a trace after disowning Eileen, but returned a few years ago after reading so much about Severus; Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were stood with their son, Draco, his Head Boy badge seeming to catch the light; Harry, Ron and Neville were huddled together, the three boys managing to remain a trio, all three in Gryffindor, Ginny was hovering near the boys with wild haired Head Girl, Hermione Granger; Willow and Holly were talking quietly with Sophie and Martha. So many people were still alive thanks to the memories of the other Severus, so many lives brought into existence that wouldn't have been. Although people were sad at Albus' passing, the overwhelming feeling was of love. Of acceptance. Of moving forwards as the universe intended. And Lily knew that whatever lay in their futures, everything would be ok.

...

 _After_

Peace. Solitude. Finally the universe was granting him these things. Peace to concentrate on his thoughts. Solitude to place all these thoughts in order without wearing a mask. All he had now in this place was himself. And his memories, naturally. He couldn't help but feel like a weight had lifted from his shoulders, relieved of his burden. He'd never felt so free. It was... _unusual._ He wasn't sure if he'd adjust.

His life had been an act, more often than not, an act he'd grown weary of long ago. He couldn't escape that act in life, only in death. Though it was a slightly sad thought, that no one truly knew who he was at his very core. But it was a worthwhile exchange, he played his role to perfection to ensure Harry Potter could fulfil his own role. Now the play was over. And he could just _be._

His thoughts of the other universe gave him some measure of peace, a universe created from his memories. A universe where he was a better man, a man worthy of Lily's love. A husband. A father. A teacher. A friend. Things he could have been if he'd listened early enough, taken Lily's words to heart sooner. It was reassuring, proof that he wasn't inherently dark. But he couldn't deny he'd made terrible choices when fuelled by hate, anger and loneliness.

Severus closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face as the swing swayed softly. He almost chuckled at the sight he must be, if anyone were to see him, clad in his customary black teaching robes, formal trousers and boots beneath, as he sat on a swing in what appeared to be an abandoned park. Most out of place indeed. Thoughts of the park he frequented in his youth always calmed his mind, reminiscing of a simpler time. A time before Hogwarts, before House rivalries, back when it was just a girl and a boy playing on swings or collecting twigs and leaves. Before they were divided by red and green. It only made sense that his eternity would present itself this way. It was more than he hoped for, if he was honest, even after years trying to redeem himself, after sharing his memories, after meeting the _other_ Lily, he still half expected to find himself roasting in a fiery pit for eternity. If this was his fate, so be it.

"Good morning, Severus," a familiar voice spoke to him. Severus flinched, gripping the rusting chains a little tighter.

"Albus," he said quietly. "I thought you already... moved on?"

"Quite, dear boy. Though the truth is not _quite_ as simple as that," Albus chuckled.

"More riddles?" Severus sighed, frowning, his eternity of solitude slipping further away from his grasp.

"No need to sound so... _disappointed?_ " Albus queried. "Your differences are a little more noticeable now, I must say."

"Differences?" Severus asked, glancing at the old man now settled on the swing alongside his.

"I do believe _your_ Albus has _moved on,_ as you said."

" _My_ Albus? My –" he cut himself off as it fell into place. "You're the other Dumbledore, aren't you?"

"Indeed," he answered happily, his eyes twinkling annoyingly. "Now, like my counterpart, I seem to be privy to certain... _workings,_ shall we say?"

"Workings?" Severus echoed back, already feeling his frustrations rising.

"Your memories were sent to our universe by _your_ Albus, correct?"

"Correct."

"It seems I have a final gift to offer. The universe was particularly unkind to you, dear boy, and is trying to restore the balance."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Severus asked, rubbing his forehead, attempting to relieve the growing migraine.

"Your memories created a better world, not just for you, but for all."

"So you want to send back more memories? Try again?"

"No, not at all." Dumbledore tried to assure him. "You can leave here."

"No," he stated firmly. "I'm not going back."

"I do not wish to send _you_ back, Severus," he said calmly. "All souls are reborn, to learn, to grow. Ordinarily, souls stay in this _afterlife_ for a while, before going back. But you can return already, if you wish."

"Not as me? I'll be someone new?"

"Someone new. You'll have no memory of this place, or the life you led. You don't remember any previous lives, after all," he argued. Severus sighed, not entirely liking the situation, not liking the idea of forgetting Lily.

"And if I decline?"

"This is the universe trying to help you, Severus. But you can still decline, you'll just wait here a while before being reborn," Albus explained.

"I do not think I'm ready. I expected solitude, at least for a time," he admitted.

"Understandable. But you need not be alone. I shall be moving on shortly, you can move on alongside me, if you are not yet ready to return to life," Albus told him. Severus nodded, weighing up the possibilities – a new life, a new family, potentially better ones. But that wasn't guaranteed. What if it was just as bad all over again? History could repeat itself, it so often did. A flash of red in the distance distracted him from his musings. A flash of red in the form of hair, on a woman walking towards him. _Lily._

Severus watched in silence as Lily approached, unable to look away, desperate to read her expression. Desperate to know if she still hated him. She stopped a few feet in front of him, she too not taking her eyes off him. Severus stood after a moment, debating exactly what to say to her. The moment he was on his feet, he was nearly bowled over as she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck. After an awkward embrace she withdrew, her teary eyes fixed on him again.

"Lily, I..."

"You've been such an idiot," she stated matter of factly, no trace of malice, only fondness.

"I know," he nodded, agreeing readily.

"But a very brave idiot," she teased. Severus sighed. "And I never hated you," she added firmly.

"You should," he mumbled.

"Probably. But I never have, and I never will," she said. Severus nodded, not quite believing it. "So what do we do now?" she asked.

"Do?"

"Are we going back?"

"We?" he asked in confusion.

"You didn't tell him that bit?" she asked, directing her gaze to the other Dumbledore.

"I was getting to that, my dear," he smiled.

"Naturally," she said, rolling her eyes. "We can both be reborn," she told him. "We'll be close, whoever we happen to be. We'll find each other."

"You don't have to leave here," he said. "I could stay here."

"True, but this will be more of an adventure."

"I could go alone," he argued.

"You won't be alone, Sev. I won't let you be alone again," she said simply, reaching to touch his hand.

"We won't remember any of this. We won't have any memories," he pointed out.

"Maybe it will be nice to make new memories," she countered. He couldn't argue that. Yet, it was still a disturbing thought, letting go of all he had been, all he was. All anyone truly was, was bound in their memories, without those he was a blank page in an empty book.

"Do you trust me, Sev?" she asked.

"Always," he answered without hesitation. Her grip on his hand tightened.

"Excellent," Albus stated happily. "I daresay, you'll have a marvellous adventure," he added with a grin.

"Let's make some new memories," Lily said with a bright smile. He met her eyes, giving a single nod, hoping that he'd see those beautiful green orbs again one day.

"You'll find me?" he asked as uncertainty began to creep in.

"I'll always find you," she promised. With that, the magic whirled around them, whipping like the wind as it spun, tingling and glowing as it prepared to return them to life as new beings, blank slates ready for new memories, their souls older and wiser than before. Even as he felt everything changing, feeling his old self slipping away, he knew it would be alright, he and Lily would find each other in the next life, as they had done in a hundred lives before. Each of their souls drawn to the others, and he knew he would never be alone again.

 **A/N – We've reached the end of the story, I truly hope you've enjoyed the journey. Huge, huge thanks to everyone for reading, following, favouriting and reviewing, whether you have reviewed once or every chapter it means so much that you would take time to comment.**

 **I am truly sad to say goodbye to this story, though I may come back to this universe in the future to explore other areas, at the moment I would say it's pretty much complete. I am however looking forwards to beginning creating a whole new universe to play in with these characters, a much darker one though, and I'm still undecided whether it will be one big story (like this one), or whether it will be a trilogy of shorter stories (at around 100k each). I will almost certainly need a beta for it, so pop me a message if you'd like to volunteer. At the moment, the story is still in the 'bundle of notes' stage and not sure how long it will be before I can really get going with it. Once again, thank you for reading, hopefully I will see you again soon, Leonie xx**


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